The Delhi High Court on Friday asked the Delhi Police enquire into the allegations made in a petition by a woman’s parents, who claimed that their daughter was missing from an ashram run under suspicious circumstances.

A woman had reportedly been missing from the ashram named “Adhyatmik Vidhyalya” which is located in Rohini area of Delhi. Her parents had moved the Court alleging that their daughter was forcefully confined at the ashram and made to abuse drugs.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia passed these orders on Friday (Aug 24) on the petition filed by the missing woman’ parents (the petitioners).

The parents of the missing woman alleged in their petition that their daughter was illegally confined by the ashram authorities and sought her immediate release from their custody.

Representatives of the ashram who were also present in Court as followers of the ashram informed the Court meanwhile that the petitioners daughter was no longer present at the ashram. They however said that her luggage and personal belongings were yet to be collected from the ashram.

The Court noted that it was unclear who was running the ashram currently and what was source of funding for the ashram’s operations.

“The functioning of the ashram appears to be shrouded in mystery…We are of the opinion that the affairs of the aashram and the manner in which they are being run needs to be probed and inquired into,” the Court said and added that this will be looked into further at the next hearing.

Meanwhile, ordering police intervention, the Court directed the Delhi Police to register a missing person’s report in relation to the petitioner’s daughter and inquire into the circumstances of her whereabouts.

The Court further directed that the Station House Officer (S.H.O) of the police station branch under which the ashram falls will have to physically appear before it in the next hearing to make a report about the progress of the inquiry.

The petitioners stated before the Court that the ashram was founded by Virender Dev Dixit who had earlier refused to allow them to speak to their daughter on a video call.

It was only on persistent requests that the they were allowed to speak to their daughter over video call. During the call, the parents alleged they observed blackened gums and that she looked frail and emaciated. They claim that she was forced to abuse drugs which led to her current state.

The petitioners sought the Court’s direction to send their daughter for a medical examination at a government hospital to determine if she has been forced to abuse drugs.

The parents further stated in their petition that the ashram’s founder Virender Dev Dixit has been absconding and multiple criminal complaints have been lodged against him in various police stations.

Later during the proceedings, a Special Public Prosecutor representing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) informed the Court that Dixit passed away.

This is not the first time the ashram has been called into question by the High Court. Back in 2017, a writ petition was filed before the High Court bringing to the Court’s attention concerns over illegal confinement and forced labour of girls at the ashram.

In 2022, the High Court had appointed a committee to look into the allegations made in the petition. The team conducted visits to the ashram’s different branches. They found several discrepancies and illegal activities. The inspection team found girls living at the ashram. Several of them were noted to be minors.

The report filed by the team appointed by the Court noted that there were 100 girls living in zoo-like conditions. The girls were not provided any privacy.

The High Court ordered a CBI investigation into the matter in May 2023.

The recent petition highlighted that the High Court’s intervention has not changed the illegal operations of the ashram much.

“Notwithstanding a decade of complaints filed at various quarters by the petitioners, and the proceedings instituted under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, it is shamefully evident that the State machinery, and the aforesaid existing proceedings have miserably failed in securing the personal liberty of Respondent No.4, as also, in bringing down the unlawful edifice of institutionalised setup functioning at the premises of Respondent No.6, Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya,” read the petition.

The parents’ petition has been filed through advocate Mani Munjal.

The next hearing has been listed for Monday, August 31.