A close associate of Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev since the inception of Isha Foundation, Mr. Dhilip, fell out with Sadhguru on many matters regarding ethics, transparency, integrity, and accountability inside Isha in 2010. He is now dead, and rumors suggest that he would have revealed the truth about Isha and the false Sadhguru but was killed in a freak accident. The following article was sent by someone very close to him, along with his photograph.
- Auditor Dhilip’s official name was Rajaratinam (family name), familiarly called “Dhilip anna” in Isha circles. He belonged to a rich orthodox Brahmin family in Gopichettipalayam, Erode District, but was residing in Coimbatore. His father, Rajarathinam, was a very famous lawyer. Mr. Dhilip was married to Ms. Vidhya, a Chartered Accountant who worked in the accounts department at Isha. They had no children, reportedly due to Jaggi’s instruction. Sadhguru JV discourages all married couples who settle at Isha from having children, claiming a spiritual reason such as not transferring karma to the child—even though SJV himself has fathered a daughter.
- Mr. Dhilip was associated with Jaggi and Isha from its inception until 2010—a span of more than 20 years. He was very close to and trusted by Jaggi, handling major issues involving him and Isha. After the mysterious death of Vijji (Jaggi’s wife) in 1999, Jaggi stepped down as managing trustee, handing over the role to Dhilip, fearing arrest. Dhilip managed PR, VIP contacts, immigration issues for foreigners, cheque signing, and legal cases filed by parents of brahmacharis. All Isha properties worth more than ₹2000 crores were signed off by him as managing trustee. He was the only person who knew the entire secrets of Isha.
- Jaggi and Dhilip had many misunderstandings, altercations, and quarrels about financial irregularities inside Isha. Dhilip, being the managing trustee and signing authority, feared legal consequences for many actions Jaggi asked him to carry out. When he questioned and objected, he was told to simply follow instructions. Dhilip gradually realized Jaggi’s true nature and intentions, which led him to leave Isha. Jaggi, aware of this, sidelined Dhilip and replaced him with L.K. Narayan. Dhilip officially left Isha in 2010 after informing Jaggi. Like Dhilip, many top-level members, trustees, 136 brahmacharis, and over 800 permanent residents have left Isha in recent years.
- After leaving Isha, Dhilip resumed his auditing practice and completely distanced himself from Isha and its associates.
- Tragically, he met with an accident near Kunchappanai while returning from Kotagiri to Coimbatore and died on the way to Mettupalayam GH, just 15 minutes before arrival in the 108 ambulance.
- Many people who knew the other side of Jaggi suspect that this accident may have been orchestrated, based on the following reasons:
- The driver of the Toyota Corolla involved in the accident was Venkatesh (known as Venky in Isha), a long-time associate of Isha and a very close confidant of Jaggi. Venky was in charge of Isha’s furniture division and was paid ₹50,000/month. Jaggi arranged a marriage for him with a woman from a known Brahmin volunteer family. Venky also served as Jaggi’s personal bodyguard at events and executed many of his personal, secret tasks.
- Venky was known personally to be a drunkard and womanizer. He targeted affluent women who visited the Isha furniture showroom, taking advantage of his closeness to Jaggi to exploit them. In many cases, he succeeded. When victims brought complaints to Jaggi, no action was taken. Instead, Venky was given charge of additional commercial projects, including ‘Nomos’, a mosquito repellent product.
- The accident occurred on Saturday, 5th October 2013, around 6–7 PM, while returning from Kotagiri.
- Surprisingly, even Mrs. Vidhya Dhilip was unaware of why he went to Kotagiri, especially with someone like Venky.
- Venky didn’t inform his office or family about the Kotagiri trip. He left work at 2 PM saying he was going home for lunch.
- The car did not hit any other vehicle; it simply lost control and rammed into the pavement. Venky is an excellent driver—Jaggi had even trusted him to drive his family to Mysore in his personal SUV.
- Only the driver’s (Venky’s) airbag deployed due to the seatbelt. It is hard to believe Dhilip didn’t wear his seatbelt. Dhilip’s head was cracked, and he lay in a pool of blood for over an hour, unnoticed—this is also considered suspicious. A passerby informed emergency services. No contact numbers were found on either of their phones or in the car. Rescue workers eventually identified him using a photographer’s visiting card inside the car.
- Venky didn’t have a single scratch in the accident. He fully recovered within two days and casually asked about Dhilip. His family thanked Jaggi for the “miraculous escape”—but why didn’t that miracle save Dhilip?
- It is said that the FIR mentions this as a suspicious accident. Dhilip’s family is still waiting to receive a copy.
—A Friend of Dhilip’s
