Supreme Court Dismisses Madras High Court Order To Probe Isha Foundation

The Supreme Court has deemed the Madras High Court’s order for police in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore to investigate the Isha Foundation as “unnecessary.” This decision follows a habeas corpus petition filed by a father who alleged that his two daughters were being held captive in the ashram.

After interacting with the two individuals involved, a bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud confirmed that both sisters had reached the age of majority before joining the ashram. The bench stated, “They have expressed their clear inclination to continue at Isha Foundation in Coimbatore. In this view, the purpose of the habeas corpus petition is duly fulfilled. No further directions were necessary from the High Court.”

Supreme Court Clarifies Jurisdiction

In its ruling, the apex court emphasized that it would be inappropriate to expand the proceedings originating from the habeas corpus petition filed before the Madras High Court.

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The Supreme Court note  the High Court’s jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution is well-define and conclude that no additional directions necessary after interacting with the petitioner’s daughters.

The Court added, “The closure of these proceedings will not affect any other regulatory compliances required by the Isha Foundation.” This statement followed senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi’s assurances that the Isha Foundation would meet all legal requirements.

Interim Order and Previous Developments

Previously, on October 3, the Supreme Court issued an interim order that stayed the Madras High Court’s directive for a police investigation into the Isha Foundation.

It instructed that “police shall not take any action” in line with the High Court’s ruling and transferred the proceedings to itself. In response to the High Court’s directive, a police team comprising 150 personnel, led by Coimbatore Superintendent of Police K Karthikeyan, conducted an inquiry regarding the alleged captivity of the two women.

The Madras High Court had initially directed the state government and Coimbatore rural police to investigate allegations against the Isha Foundation after former Tamil Nadu Agricultural University professor S Kamaraj filed a habeas corpus petition concerning his daughters, Geetha and Latha Kamaraj.

While hearing the case, a bench of Justices SM Subramaniam and V Sivagnanam interacted with the daughters and opted to investigate further. Justice Subramaniam’s bench highlighted the court’s obligation to achieve complete justice and ordered Additional Public Prosecutor E Raj Thilak to file a status report by October 4.

The report was to include all cases related to the Isha Foundation, as the petitioner’s lawyer claimed that multiple cases were ongoing. One of these cases involved a doctor associated with the organization who faced charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act.