New Delhi: The Madras high court on Monday (September 30) asked the counsel appearing for the Isha Foundation – run by self-styled spiritual guru Jaggi Vasudev – that why Vasudev’s own daughter is married and settled well in life, while he encourages other women to renounce their material life.
“We want to know why a person who had given his daughter in marriage and made her settle well in life is encouraging the daughters of others to tonsure their heads and live the life of a hermitess. That is the doubt,” a bench of Justices SM Subramaniam and V Sivagnanam orally remarked, reported Bar and Bench.
The court was hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by retired professor S. Kamaraj, who alleged that two of his daughters aged 42 and 39 were “brainwashed” to reside at Isha Foundation.
While the two women said that they were staying at the foundation willingly and that no one was forcing them, the judges decided to interact with them in the chambers.
The court also directed the Tamil Nadu government to submit details of all criminal cases registered against Vasudev’s Isha Foundation.
“The learned counsel for the petitioner would also submit that there are several other criminal cases registered and allegations are pending. In view of the serious nature of the allegations raised against the institution and the way and the manner in which the detenues have spoken before us, we could form an opinion that some more deliberations are required to understand the truth behind the allegations. Therefore, the petitioner shall produce the details of criminal cases registered against the institution and the learned Additional Public Prosecutor also shall collect all those case details and place before us for further consideration,” said the court.
