The Madras High Court today directed the Principal District Judge, Coimbatore, to visit the Isha Yoga Centre premises to conduct an inquiry with the inmates about their willingness to stay there and submit a report tomorrow.

A division bench, comprising Justices S. Nagamuthu and V. Bharathidasan, gave the direction on a habeas corpus petition filed by the parents of two women staying in the Isha Yoga Centre premises, 27 km from Coimbatore.

“The Principal District Judge, Coimbatore, who is also the chairman of the District Legal Services Authority, is directed to visit the centre by 3 p.m. today, conduct an inquiry with the inmates and other ‘detenues’ and submit a report to the court tomorrow,” the order said.

On August 1, a retired professor, Kamaraj, and his wife had petitioned the Coimbatore Collector alleging that their two daughters had been held captive at Isha Yoga Centre and were made sanyasins.

However, on 5 August, Isha Foundation issued a press release refuting the allegations.

“We would like to clearly state on record that all the above allegations of holding captives, brainwashing, and forcing individuals into sanyas or brahmacharya are absolutely false,” the Foundation, running the centre, had said in the release.