Supreme Court Dismisses Allegations Against Isha Foundation, Questions Motive Behind Accusations

The Supreme Court of India dismissed the case against Isha Foundation, which claimed that 2 women monks were being held against their will at Isha Foundation. The Court affirmed that the two women monks, aged 39 and 42, are staying at the Foundation of their own free will. 

Further, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud observed that court “proceedings cannot be used to malign people and malign institutions.” The Supreme Court also took exception to the Madras High Court passing directions for a police enquiry against Isha Foundation, and refused to entertain details of the police report. In fact, at one point, the court also observed that the motives behind the case seemed dubious.

The CJI had interacted with the two women monks earlier and indicated that both women were intelligent and wholly capable of independent decision making. The police also acknowledged that the monks have been in regular contact with their parents - verified through several investigations and documented evidence, including CCTV footage, more than 70 phone calls, and multiple in-person meetings between the monks and their parents. The CJI informed the accusing party that “when you have grown children who are majors, you cannot file a complaint to control their lives.”

In the words of the Court Order: “Both the individuals were majors even when they joined the Ashram and have expressed their clear inclination to continue at Isha Foundation at Coimbatore. In this view, the purpose of the Habeas Corpus Petition is duly fulfilled. No further directions were necessary by the High Court.”

Welcoming the verdict, Maa Mayu and Maa Mathi stated, “We are extremely happy with the Supreme Court verdict for standing up for our choice to live a monastic life. This trial by our birth family has caused us immense pain, but we are grateful to Isha volunteers and Sadhguru and well-wishers for standing with us.”

Women Being Shamed & Guilted For Their Choices

One of the most disturbing aspects of these allegations is the implicit insinuation that two adult daughters (aged 39 and 42) should bow before the diktats of the father. In fact, this is not the first time the father has made these accusations. In 2016, when his wife filed practically the same case claiming his daughters were brainwashed, the Madras High Court dismissed the case after meeting the two brahmacharinis (monks) and ascertaining that they were at Isha Yoga Center of their free will and were in full possession of their mental faculties.

In Indian culture, equal importance has always been given to women. The irony is that this whole incident has taken place on the eve of Navratri - a traditional Indian festival celebrating the Divine Feminine. This makes it not just insensitive but also terribly inappropriate. 

At Isha, women are never judged, evaluated or discriminated against on the basis of their gender. Contrast that to the infringement upon the fundamental constitutional right to personal liberty and right to religion that the two brahmacharinis and indeed, the rest of the volunteers at the Isha Foundation have had to suffer due to the false accusations, and it becomes clear what kind of mindsets are behind these allegations. These are mindsets of patriarchy, misogyny and oppression.

Complete Violation of Privacy

On the day of the police enquiry, the Foundation was conducting the solemn rituals of Mahalaya Amavasya. Mahalaya Amavasya is an important day in Indian culture when people offer their respects and remember their ancestors. Many guests and visitors were present at the Isha Yoga Center for this purpose on that day. On such an important occasion, the issuance of an enquiry order and the interrogation of people at the Isha Yoga Center deeply disturbed many of the visitors emotionally and mentally, because they felt a violation of privacy.

An Attack on the Revival of Indigenous Culture & Sanatana Dharma

Indigenous cultural practices and Sanatana Dharma have been under pressure and attack in the country for many years. This is not the first instance of completely baseless allegations being hurled at Isha Foundation. For 3 decades, the Foundation has worked to offer Yogic tools for transformation and wellbeing to over a billion people across the world, irrespective of religion, caste, nationality or gender. These tools form the basis to create an inclusive and harmonious world, and stand in stark contrast to the divisive efforts of those who make these false accusations.

The Poorest Are The Ones Who Suffer The Most

For the millions of Isha volunteers, the most painful part of these allegations is not the emotional impact it has on the volunteers themselves. Rather, it is the terrible toll that it takes on the rural poor and weakest sections of society who are dependent on the Foundation’s various outreach activities. Whether it is the 5 million patients in rural India who have received free healthcare or the 225,000 farmers who have benefitted from Isha’s agri, soil and water initiatives, their lives are affected because the Foundation has to shift its focus from this very essential social work to battling pointless, frivolous accusations.