The Tamil Nadu police announced on 18 April 2024 that they had cleared Isha Foundation of any wrongdoing regarding the disappearance of six volunteers from its yoga center at the base of Velliangiri in Coimbatore district. They stated that most of the missing volunteers had returned, having left the center for personal reasons.
This announcement came during proceedings before Justices MS Ramesh and Sunder Mohan, who were overseeing a habeas corpus petition filed by C Thirumalai of Kulasekarapatti in Tirunelveli district, concerning his missing brother C Ganesan since March 2023.
According to the petitioner, Ganesan was serving as a volunteer at the yoga center. He received a call from the center on 2 March 2024, inquiring about Ganesan’s whereabouts, which alerted him to his brother’s disappearance. The center’s administrator, Dinesh, filed a complaint with the Alandurai police on 5 March 2024, leading to a missing person case being registered. As Ganesan remained untraceable, Thirumalai filed the habeas corpus petition.
During the hearing, Additional Public Prosecutor E Raj Thilak informed the court that 36 individuals, including employees and volunteers at the Isha Yoga Center, had been questioned. However, more time was requested to compile a comprehensive status report.
Responding to queries about other missing volunteers mentioned in previous hearings, the prosecutor stated that while five more volunteers were initially reported missing, most had since returned to the center, attributing their absence to personal reasons. The Madras High Court cautioned that if the petitioner, who lodged the lawsuit concerning his brother’s disappearance, fails to attend the hearing, the case will be dismissed. Notably, neither the petitioner nor his attorney were present during the hearing, as observed by the bench. Consequently, the judges took note of the submissions made in their absence and instructed the High Court registry to schedule the case for 7 June 2024, with the designation “For Dismissal,” emphasizing that it would represent the final opportunity for the petitioner to appear.
Tamil Nadu police gives clean chit to Isha Foundation in volunteers missing case. Tells #MadrasHighCourt that almost all of the six missing volunteers had returned to the yoga centre at Velliangiri after leaving it due to personal reasons. @THChennaihttps://t.co/bQAG4inmn3
— Mohamed Imranullah S (@imranhindu) April 18, 2024
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.