The Delhi High Court, on March 19, directed Tamil news magazine Nakkheeran to take down allegedly defamatory content on Jaggi Vasudev’s Isha Foundation.
Led by Nakkheeran Gopal, the magazine is a household name in Tamil Nadu. In 2024, Isha Foundation filed a defamation suit claiming videos on the magazine’s YouTube channel Nakkheeran TV maligned them. The suit sought Rs 3 crore in damages and wanted the videos removed.
One video that angered many Isha followers purportedly features Jaggi with a follower and is considered defamatory.
Nakkheeran has been reporting on allegations against Isha Foundation and Jaggi Vasudev for the past ten years.
The magazine reported extensively on Adivasi-led protests against Isha’s construction activities at the foot of Coimbatore’s Velliangiri Hills. The area is a protected elephant corridor under the Hill Area Conservation Authority (HACA).
Nakkheeran TV has also covered allegations of the disappearance and death of 34-year-old Subashree in December 2022. She went missing from the Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore, where she had been staying for a week-long ‘silence’ yoga class.
They reported on the complaints of abuse at Isha Home Schools. However, the manner of their reportage exposed the identities of several complainants who had sought to remain anonymous.
In the weeks after Isha Foundation filed its defamation suit against Nakkheeran, popular Hindi YouTuber Shyam Meera Singh was also ordered by the Delhi High Court to take down his video on the foundation.