New Delhi

The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed Tamil magazine Nakkheeran to take down content that was found to be allegedly defamatory against Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev's Isha Foundation. The order was passed by Justice Subramonium Prasad, who granted interim relief to the Foundation in the matter.

At the same time, the Court rejected an application filed by Nakkheeran, and through this application, the publication had sought dismissal of the defamation suit at the initial stage itself. However, the Court refused to do so, allowing the case to proceed.

The dispute began when the Isha Foundation filed a defamation suit before the Delhi High Court in 2024. The Foundation alleged that Nakkheeran and its editor had published articles and videos that damaged its reputation. Google LLC has also been made a party in the case, as the content in question appeared in Google search results and was hosted on YouTube.

According to the Foundation, Nakkheeran published several reports making serious allegations against it. These included claims of exploitation, brainwashing and involvement in illegal activities. The reports also suggested that people associated with the Foundation were being forced or influenced to stay there against their will. The Foundation has denied all these allegations and claimed that they are false and misleading.

The Foundation also argued that such content was published even after the Supreme Court had already dealt with a related issue. The controversy had earlier started when a man approached the Madras High Court claiming that his two daughters, aged 42 and 39, had been "brainwashed" and were staying at the Isha Yoga Centre.

During the hearing of that case, the Madras High Court had asked the Tamil Nadu government to provide details of any criminal cases registered against the Isha Foundation. The matter later reached the Supreme Court.

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In 2024, a Supreme Court bench led by then Chief Justice of India interacted with both women. The Court recorded that they were adults and had clearly stated that they were living at the Isha Yoga Centre out of their own free will. Based on this, the Supreme Court closed the habeas corpus petition. However, the Court also clarified that its order would not stop the police from carrying out any separate investigation, if required.

After this, the Isha Foundation approached the Delhi High Court, stating that despite the Supreme Court's findings, Nakkheeran continued to publish defamatory material against it. The Foundation sought the removal of such content and compensation for the damage caused to its reputation.