ISCKON's Acharya dispute: SC verdict ends 25-year-old legal battle
The trial court had earlier ruled in favour of ISKCON Bengaluru, recognising its legal title and granting a permanent injunction against ISKCON Mumbai
Bengaluru, May 16 (PTI) The Supreme Court verdict on the ISKCON temple here has ended a long battle against "self-proclaimed gurus," and devotees' struggle to establish Srila Prabhupada as the Acharya of ISKCON, post his Maha Samadhi, ISKCON Bengaluru said on Friday.
The apex court held that the Hare Krishna temple in Bengaluru belongs to the ISKCON Society in the city. It allowed the plea of ISKCON Bengaluru challenging a Karnataka High Court order that ruled in favour of ISKCON Mumbai over control of the iconic Hare Krishna temple and educational complex in this city.
In a statement, Madhu Pandit Dasa, President of ISKCON Bengaluru, said, "This internal ISKCON battle was against self-proclaimed gurus who claimed to be successors to Srila Prabhupada, the founder Acharya of ISKCON, without being authorised by Srila Prabhupada before his Maha Samadhi." "Rather, he set up a Ritvik system whereby all devotees in ISKCON at all times will be direct disciples of Srila Prabhupada," he added.
Srila Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of ISKCON, established a system of initiation (Diksha) in 1977, shortly before he attained Maha Samadhi.
Known as the Ritvik system, initiations would be conducted through his appointed representatives. As per this arrangement, all future devotees would become direct disciples of Srila Prabhupada, who would continue to remain the Acharya of ISKCON.
He alleged those in ISKCON Mumbai, in the year 2000, tried to expel the devotees of ISKCON Bengaluru because they refused to accept the "guruship of self-proclaimed gurus of ISKCON, claiming that ISKCON Mumbai society controls the properties of ISKCON Bengaluru society," Dasa said.
"Today, the 25-year-old court battle has been concluded by the Supreme Court by its verdict that BDA had allotted temple land of ISKCON Bangalore society--an independent ISKCON society registered in Bengaluru, in 1988 sand the property and funds to build the temple were raised in Bengaluru," he said.
"In essence, ISKCON Mumbai has been injuncted from interfering with the management of ISKCON Bengaluru. They can no longer expel from ISKCON, thousands of devotees who want to accept only Srila Prabhupada as the sole Acharya of ISKCON," he added.
ISKCON Bengaluru had moved the top court on June 2, 2011, challenging the high court's verdict of May 23, 2011.
In the plea, ISKCON Bengaluru, represented by its office-bearer Kodandarama Dasa, contested the high court judgment that overturned a 2009 order of a local court in Bengaluru.
The trial court had earlier ruled in favour of ISKCON Bengaluru, recognising its legal title and granting a permanent injunction against ISKCON Mumbai.
However, the high court reversed this ruling and upheld a counterclaim by ISKCON Mumbai, effectively granting them control over the temple. PTI