Relief for Sadhguru's Isha Foundation as SC quashes 'brainwashing' case

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday quashed all legal proceedings against the Isha Foundation, brought by a father who claimed his two daughters were "brainwashed" into joining the spiritual ashram led by Sadhguru in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The court rejected the petition that alleged unlawful detention, asserting that both daughters were adults and had voluntarily chosen to stay at the ashram. A bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud concluded that no further action was necessary, as the women—Geeta and Lata—were both over the age of 18 and capable of making their own decisions. The daughters, who were 27 and 24 when they first joined the ashram, appeared before the court and confirmed they were residing there of their own free will.

The Supreme Court also took issue with the earlier actions of the Madras High Court, which had ordered an investigation into the matter and led to a raid on the ashram. The apex court stated that the High Court's decision to pursue a habeas corpus petition was unwarranted, particularly after the women had already appeared in court, fulfilling the legal requirement of such a petition. The father’s petition was initially prompted by his belief that his daughters were being held against their will at the ashram. However, the daughters, now 42 and 39, refuted these claims in court. One daughter, addressing the Supreme Court via video, stated that their father had been harassing them for years, and their mother had also participated in this harassment.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the Isha Foundation, pointed out that even the Tamil Nadu Police’s report had indicated that the women were willingly residing at the ashram. The Supreme Court, after hearing both sides, advised the father to respect the autonomy of his adult children and to rebuild their trust instead of pursuing legal action. The court's ruling follows earlier proceedings, during which the Supreme Court had stayed a Madras High Court order that had directed police to investigate the father’s allegations, leading to a large-scale raid at the Isha Foundation.