The Supreme Court has closed the Habeas Corpus petition filed by a man alleging that his two daughters were “brainwashed” and have been held captive in the Isha Foundation ashram in Coimbatore.

A three-judge bench of Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice J.B. Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra concluded the legal proceedings that started in the Madras High Court and eventually progressed to the Supreme Court, with a ruling that the daughters were free to go wherever they wished. The Supreme Court had held a virtual interaction with the two women in chambers, where it recorded their statement that they were staying at the ashram of their own free will.

The court noted, ''The jurisdiction of the Court under Article 226 of the Constitution, while dealing with a habeas corpus petition, is well-defined. It would be unnecessary for this Court to expand the ambit of these proceedings,''

Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the Isha Foundation, submitted, ''The report is all over and they are publishing the annexures. Foreigner statements were recorded and said that there were present on their own."

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta also backed Advocate Rohatgi and stated that these were clickbait tactics designed to attract viewers.

Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing the State of Tamil Nadu, urged the bench to specify in the order that the dismissal of the habeas corpus petition would not limit the police's authority to investigate the ongoing cases.

To which the Bench held, ''We clarify that the only aspect of the matter which has been dealt with in these proceedings pertains to the habeas corpus petition and that aspect of the matter shall stand closed.''

Advocate Siddharth Luthra pointed out that during the police inspection, some regulatory violations were observed. He noted that no Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) had been established and that the X-ray machine was operating with an expired license.

On this, the court specified, ''The closure of these proceedings, it is clarified, will not affect any other regulatory compliances which are required to be achieved by Isha Foundation. Mr Mukul Rohatgi, senior counsel appearing on behalf of Isha Foundation, with Mr V Giri, senior counsel, states that any such requirements would be duly complied with in accordance with law."

“As a State, you must proceed in accordance with law. We are today only on the High Court order passed in a Habeas Corpus plea where statements of the two corpus were recorded and High Court should have closed the matter but it proceeded. Now they exceeded here. But as a State you can proceed," Justice Pardiwala said.

Thus, ultimately, the court held, ''Both the individuals have attained the age of majority. They were majors even when they joined the Ashram. They 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.''

The Special Leave Petition was accordingly disposed of.

Case Title: Isha Foundation v. S. Kamaraj & Ors., SLP(Cri.)/13992/2024

Advocates for Petitioner: Sr. Adv. Mr. Mukul Rohatgi, Sr. Adv. Mr. V. Giri & Ors.

Advocates for Respondents: Sr. Adv. Mr. Sidharth Luthra,  AOR Mr. D. Kumaran, & Ors.