B’luru Hare Krishna temple belongs to ISKCON: SC ends 20-year legal battle
Ending a 20-year-old legal battle, the Supreme Court on Friday ruled that Hare Krishna Temple in Bengaluru belongs to ISKCON, Bengaluru.
Allowing ISKCON’s appeal challenging a Karnataka High Court order, a Bench of Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice AG Masih set aside an order of the Karnataka High Court which held the property belonged to ISKCON, Mumbai.
Noting that the late Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada initiated the Hare Krishna movement, the Bench said in view of the object of the ISKCON movement, “the dispute between ISKCON, Mumbai, and ISKCON, Bengaluru, ought not to have been brought to the court. However, they have done so, and in the process, they have litigated for a span of more than 20 years”.
The top court noted that “plaintiffs (ISKCON, Mumbai) have adduced no evidence to prove their case”.
“Even assuming that ISKCON, Bengaluru, did not possess funds, and even if money came from ISKCON, Mumbai, it cannot claim ownership. Only because the existence of the Bengaluru branch of ISKCON, Mumbai, was proved, one cannot jump to the conclusion that allotment of Schedule ‘A’ property was to ISKCON, Mumbai, through the Bengaluru branch,” the Bench said, rejecting Mumbai ISKCON’s claim.
