Supreme Court stays Madras High Court order against Isha Foundation, Sadhguru
Case transferred to Supreme Court
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the Madras High Court's order directing police action against Jaggi Vasudev's Isha Foundation. The stay was granted after the Foundation approached the apex court challenging the High Court's direction to the Tamil Nadu government to provide details of all criminal cases registered against it.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, which issued the stay order, also transferred the case from the High Court to the Supreme Court. The decision was made after the bench interacted with two women whose father had filed a Habeas Corpus petition claiming they were being detained at the Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore.
The petition, filed by S Kamaraj, a retired professor, alleged that his daughters, aged 42 and 39, were “brainwashed” into residing at the ashram and were not allowed to maintain any contact with their families. During the hearing, the two women appeared before the Supreme Court and stated that they were staying at the ashram of their own free will.
The court, after noting the women’s submissions, passed the following directions:
1. The case was transferred to the Supreme Court from the Madras High Court.
2. The original petitioner was allowed to appear either virtually or through his counsel.
3. The status report of the police shall be submitted to the Supreme Court.
4. The police were directed not to take any further action in pursuance of the High Court's directions.
The stay order was passed after Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Isha Foundation, contended that such directions could not have been passed in a Habeas Corpus petition, especially when the two women had already appeared before the High Court. He argued that the matter was related to religious freedom and that the High Court could not initiate such inquiries based on oral assertions.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, supporting the Foundation’s plea, stated that the High Court should have exercised caution in the matter and highlighted the urgent need for the Supreme Court's intervention.
The Supreme Court’s order noted that the two women had interacted with the bench and affirmed their voluntary stay at the ashram. The court also noted that the police party, which had conducted a search at the ashram following the High Court's order, had left the premises.
In light of these observations, the Supreme Court stayed further police action against the Isha Foundation and transferred the case for its own adjudication.
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11-year-old dies by suicide after sexual assault in Bareilly; accused arrested
Bareilly (UP) (PTI): A 26-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl, who later died by suicide due to trauma, police said on Wednesday.
The post-mortem report confirmed sexual assault and multiple injuries on the minor's body, including bite marks and nail scratches. The cause of death was found to be hanging, they said.
According to ASP (South) Anshika Verma, the incident came to light on 27 April, when the girl, a Class 8 student, was found hanging at her home in Deoria Abdullaganj village under the Mirganj police station area. Initially, the family reported the death as suicide and was reluctant to pursue police action.
"The autopsy report changed the course of the investigation. It confirmed sexual assault and noted severe physical trauma. The cause of death was confirmed as hanging," Verma said.
A breakthrough in the case came from the statement of the victim's younger sister, who told police that the accused, Zeeshan (26), a resident of the same village, frequently loitered near the minor's school and allegedly gave her small sums of money to keep his interactions with her a secret, she said.
Police said that on the day of the incident, the accused allegedly lured the minor and assaulted her. Distressed by the incident, the child later took her own life while her mother was away, police said.
"Based on technical surveillance, CCTV footage, and statements from the family, we established Zeeshan's involvement. He was arrested near the Mirganj weekly market on Tuesday," they said.
