CHENNAI: The two women, Geetha, 42, and Latha, 39, were not illegally confined in Isha Ashram in Coimbatore, according to the written submission by the women monks, who were christened as Maa Mathi and Maayu.
The police team, led by assistant Superintendent of Police Shristi Singh, inquired about the two siblings on Oct 2. The two sisters claimed they were in good physical and psychological condition.
The issue came to light after Geetha’s father, a retired professor named Kamaraj, filed a Habeas Corpus Petition (HCP) before the Madras high court to produce his two daughters, Geetha and Latha, who he alleged were forcibly detained at the Isha Foundation.
He also claimed in his petition that his younger daughter, Latha alias Maa Maayu, was holding a fast until death to threaten Kamaraj to give up his activities against the petitioner foundation. The Madras High Court passed an interim order on Sep 30, directing the Coimbatore rural police to conduct an inquiry into the allegations and file a status report on Oct 4.
SC stops police from further action on Isha Foundation
Meanwhile, the bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud stopped further investigations by the Tamil Nadu police at the Isha Foundation in Coimbatore on Oct 3 and transferred the case from the Madras High Court to the Apex Court.
It also directed the police to submit the probe report to the Supreme Court, which is scheduled to hear the matter on Oct 18.
After a detailed inquiry, Coimbatore superintendent of police K Karthikeyan submitted a detailed report stating that the sisters, Geetha and Latha, were living at the ashram of their own volition and denied their father’s claims.
The report noted that both women are highly educated and in good physical and mental health. They stressed that they willingly chose the monastic path at the Isha Yoga Centre and were not under any pressure or coercion.
The women also confirmed to the police that they regularly meet their parents and saw them as recently as June 7, 2024, on their parents’ anniversary. CCTV footage of their meetings with their parents, along with handwritten submissions from the women, were included as part of the police report. Additionally, the women made it clear that their relationship with their father deteriorated only after he persisted in making public accusations about their confinement, which they said were untrue.
What does the police report say?
The report also annexed statements from 33 Brahmacharis, 80 workers, 152 staff members, 17 students, 44 residents, and 42 visitors of the ashram. According to the report, out of the total 217 Brahmacharis (monks) living at the Isha Foundation, 30 were interviewed, and all confirmed they were residing there by choice.
The report highlighted that the women were leading a healthy lifestyle, with one of them, Maa Maayu, even participating in a 10 km marathon. The police also submitted the CCTV camera footage collected from the ashram.
The report stated that there are 217 Brahmacharis, 2455 volunteers, 891 paid staff, 1475 paid workers, 342 Isha Home School students, 175 Isha Samskriti students, 704 guests/volunteers, and 912 guests residing in cottages at the Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore.
Apart from this, the report also claimed that there was a crematorium set up inside the Isha Foundation, which was objected to by the local farmers.
Additionally, outdated medical equipment was recovered at the Isha Clinic, and a doctor registered in the state of Telangana faced a sexual harassment complaint for misbehaving during the outreach programme. The ashram did not have an Internal Complaint Committee in place, despite having a large number of volunteers from India and abroad.