Sisters from Bihar evicted from residential quarters of Ashram

Following a Supreme Court order, police today evicted five sisters from Bihar, who were staying in the residential quarters of the Aurobindo Ashram here for the past several years.
Earlier, one of the sisters Hemalatha Prasad climbed up to the top floor of the multi-storeyed premises and threatened to commit suicide if the police or Ashram Trust authorities evicted them from the quarters.
However, police managed to bring her down.
The dispute between the sisters and the Ashram Trust can be traced back to 2002 when the ashram took disciplinary action against Hemalata Prasad for misconduct after an inquiry by a retired District Judge appointed by Madras High Court.

Ashram sources told PTI that the sisters had levelled serious charges of sexual abuse against many inmates of the ashram and also filed complaints before National Commission for Women in 2004.
The Commission after inquiry found that the allegations by the sisters were false and that they were malicious in nature. The sisters also complained to National Human Rights Commission, which after independent enquiry found that their complaints were false.

The sisters then moved a local court objecting to the disciplinary action. The court directed the Trust not to deny ashram's facilities to the sisters, following which the ashram management moved Madras High Court against the order.

The High Court directed the sisters to leave the ashram by September 2, 2012 and asked them to arrange for their own accommodation outside the ashram.
The sisters then moved the Supreme Court challenging the order.
The Supreme Court in its order in April, 2014, directed the women to vacate the ashram by July 31.
They did not, however, leave the premises, following which the Apex Court issued orders on December 9 on a contempt petition filed by the ashram management, directing the women to vacate the premises within a week failing which the jurisdictional police should evict them.
A police team took the sisters to the All Women Police Station after a heated argument with them, Police Inspector Zinda said.