On an allegation from a mother of two that her daughters are being "held captive" in the Isha Yoga Centre on the foothills of Velliangiri, Coimbatore, the Madras High Court on Wednesday directed the District Judge to conduct an enquiry by 3 p.m on Wednesday.
A Division Bench of Justices S. Nagamuthu and V. Bharathidasan passed the direction on a habeas corpus plea moved by Sathyajothi. While directing the Principal District Judge to conduct enquiry and file a report by Thursday, the Bench made it clear that the court cannot intervene if the women are staying at the ashram of their own free will.
According to the petitioner, her daughters, Geetha (34) and Latha (31), who now go by the names 'Maa Mathi' and 'Maa Mayu', were forced to stay in the yoga centre against their will.
Geetha was an former employee of Sheffield Hallam University, England. After her marriage broke up in 2008, she started attending yoga classes organised by Isha Foundation.
Inspired by her sister, Latha also joined the Foundation and both became full-time workers from 2013. The petitioner alleged that the Foundation management, after coming to know about the financial status of their daughters, exerted influence and pressure on them to become full-time workers.
Claiming that she was not allowed to contact or meet her daughters for over a year, the petitioner prayed for a direction to the police officials concerned to produce the women before the court.
Recording the submissions, the Bench said that the parents of the women shall be allowed to go with the judge during the inspection, and directed the Superintendent of Police, Coimbatore, to provide protection during the enquiry.
