The Supreme Court on Friday concluded proceedings in a habeas corpus petition filed by a man who alleged that his two daughters were being held captive at the premises of spiritual leader Jaggi Vasudev's Isha Foundation in Coimbatore. A bench, led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, observed that both women, who are adults, had confirmed they were staying at the ashram of their own free will and without any coercion. In light of this, the court noted that no further action was necessary regarding the habeas corpus petition, which was initially filed before the Madras High Court.
The bench, which also included Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, reviewed a status report submitted by the police in compliance with the court's earlier order dated October 3. The court remarked that it was unnecessary to expand the scope of the proceedings since they arose from a habeas corpus petition, and the women had already clarified their voluntary residence at the ashram.
Earlier, on October 3, the Supreme Court had effectively paused the police investigation into claims of illegal confinement at the Isha Foundation’s Coimbatore ashram. The habeas corpus petition, initially filed before the Madras High Court, had been transferred to the Supreme Court, which had ordered Tamil Nadu Police to halt further actions in line with the high court’s earlier directive. The Isha Foundation had approached the Supreme Court to challenge the high court's direction, which had asked the Coimbatore Police to gather and present all case details related to the Foundation for further review.