Will ISKCON Mumbai be tolerant of ISKCON Bangalore devotees’ acceptance of Srila Prabhupada as their Guru and allow them to exist within ISKCON remains to be seen.
ISKCON Bangalore once again offered to give all its properties and come under the GBC if at least in their group the devotees are irrevocably allowed to accept Srila Prabhupada as their sole diksha guru based on the July 9th directive. We understand from reliable sources from ISKCON Bangalore that this is the latest offer given by ISKCON Bangalore devotees to ISKCON Mumbai to settle the long drawn dispute about the ISKCON temple on Hare Krishna Hill in Rajajinagar, Bangalore.
The July 9th Directive This dispute began when some of the ISKCON Bangalore devotees in 1998 came across the July 9, 1977 letter authorized by Srila Prabhupada wherein he ordered ritvik acharyas to initiate on his behalf. This letter clearly outlined that these ritviks should ensure that the initiates are to be Srila Prabhupada’s disciples and not the ritvik’s. Unfortunately the first eleven disciples who were named to be ritviks deviated from this instruction and declared themselves as the next acharyas of ISKCON.
HH Jayapataka Swami His Holiness Jayapataka Swami was one of the first eleven who deviated from this instruction and became a self-made Guru just after Srila Prabhupada’s physical departure. He was the Guru and GBC of ISKCON Bangalore and life time Vice Chairman of ISKCON Mumbai when the devotees of the ISKCON Bangalore came across the July 9th letter. When they set out to discuss this matter with Jayapataka Swami the then guru, they were given unsatisfactory answers like Prabhupada wanted everyone to be guru etc. Feeling himself cornered by searching questions about his guruship by his once devoted disciples, Jayapataka Swami instigated some of his other disciples and members of ISKCON Mumbai to physically muscle out the devotees from ISKCON Bangalore who wished to take direct shelter of Srila Prabhupada
as their only guru. Finding no other alternative, the devotees of ISKCON Bangalore filed a suit seeking an injunction against ISKCON Mumbai, controlled and led by self-styled gurus like HH Jayapataka Swami to not interfere with matters pertaining to the temple on Hare Krishna Hill in Bangalore. This suit was filed in City Civil Court / Trail Court in Bangalore.
ISKCON Bangalore Many interim orders were passed by various courts before the final trial court verdict came about in 2009. Initially the High Court gave an interim order in favor of ISKCON Bangalore which was later endorsed by the Supreme Court in 2004 with some riders. The Trial Court later in 2009 gave a permanent injunction in favor of ISKCON Bangalore. ISKCON’s self-appointed gurus filed an appeal against the trial court’s verdict in the High Court of Karnataka. The Honorable High Court ruled in favor of ISKCON Mumbai. Against this verdict ISKCON Bangalore went on an appeal to the Supreme Court of India by filing a Special Leave Petition (SLP). The various hearings held and their result was reported in ISKCON Times.
In the meantime, the Supreme Court passed many interim orders and opined that ISKCON Bangalore society should continue to manage the property on Hare Krishna Hill in Rajajinagar, Bangalore, and set up an oversight committee consisting of a retired Supreme Court Judge and a member each from ISKCON Bangalore and ISKCON Mumbai to give advice on matters pertaining to the administration. The apex court had also asked for an amicable settlement between both the parties. ISKCON Bangalore made very sincere attempts at solving the issue and gave many proposals for peace which fell through because of the high handed approach of the ISKCON Gurus led by Gopala Krishna Goswami and Jayapataka Swami. Incidentally these two ISKCON Mumbai’s leaders happen to be the Chairman and Vice Chairman for life of ISKCON Mumbai. They were not satisfied even with the offer of Madhu Pandit Dasa and other leaders of ISKCON Bangalore offering to step down from ISKCON Bangalore’s Rajajinagar temple on Hare Krishna Hill. They wanted complete property control and discipleship of ISKCON devotees but did not want to concede the one request to let Srila Prabhupada be the only guru of ISKCON for the ISKCON Bangalore group of temples. Their mindsets were akin to that of Duryodhana who did not want to give one inch of land to the Pandavas.
Due to the failure of the attempts of amicable settlement, court cases resumed and recently on Sept 25th the Supreme Court admitted ISKCON Bangalore’s special leave petition.
ISKCON Mumbai The Apex court also ordered both the parties to try to settle the dispute amicably. In response to this we have got to know that ISKCON Bangalore has sent a letter offering settlement. We reproduce below a letter written by the advocates of ISKCON Bangalore to the advocates of ISKCON Mumbai.
October 09th, 2014 Dear Ms. Vijayalakshmi Menon,
Sub: Special Leave Petition No. 15814 of 2011 – ISKCON Bangalore v ISKCON Mumbai In deference to the observation made by the Hon’ble Supreme Court while adjourning the matter on 25.9.2014 to November 18, 2014, that the parties should try to settle the dispute amicably, I am sending the following proposal, on behalf of my client, namely ISKCON Bangalore, for consideration and acceptance by Shri K.K. Venugopal, Senior Advocate, without prejudice to the rights and contentions of the parties and your clients. The proposal contained in this letter has the approval of Shri P.P. Rao, Senior Advocate, for the petitioner.
2. Before making the proposal, I would like to place on record the efforts made so far towards out of court settlement of the dispute. 3. While issuing notice in the Special Leave Petition and directing maintenance of status quo as on 6.6.2011, this Hon’ble Court (Coram: Hon’ble Dr. Justice B.S. Chauhan and Hon’ble Mr.
Justice Swatanter Kumar) observed: “However, we express a pious hope that the learned counsel appearing for the respective parties shall find some time and examine the possibility of amicably resolving the issues involved in the present matter. We would also expect that the different sections of this august institution would avoid unnecessary litigation and the office bearers of both the societies shall fully cooperate in this behalf.” 4. In the course of mediation, ISKCON Bangalore agreed to the proposal of ISKCON Mumbai that ISKCON Radha Krishnachandra Temple Bangalore and other temples of ISKCON Bangalore Group to be fully brought under the ownership and control of ISKCON Mumbai subject to only one condition that only the Founder, namely, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada be revered as the Guru or Acharya of ISKCON in the said temples and no one should occupy the revered position of Acharya of ISKCON and all the devotees in the ISKCON temples will be initiated by the Ritviks or representatives of the said Acharya as per the institutional directive dated 9.7.1977 issued by him (hereinafter called as the ‘Ritvik System’). As per the said directive, disciples so initiated will be considered as the disciples of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada. A copy of the said letter dated 9.7.1977 of the Acharya (Founder) is annexed hereto and marked as Annexure 1. 5. During the mediation, the GBC of ISKCON and the Bureau of ISKCON Mumbai addressed a letter dated 9.3.2013 to the leaders of Bangalore group of temples of ISKCON. A copy of the said letter is annexed hereto as Annexure 2. ISKCON Mumbai and the GBC failed to meet the demand of ISKCON Bangalore to accept the practice that His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada shall be the only Acharya and initiating Guru for the devotees of ISKCON Bangalore group of temples. ISKCON Mumbai did not accept the Ritvik System and on the contrary induced some of the senior devotees of ISKCON Bangalore to become regular Guru. ISKCON Bangalore could not accept this, since according to them it would amount to being disobedient to His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada and his teaching and principles. Hence, the mediation process failed. A true copy of the reply dated 14.3.2013 given by the Leaders of ISKCON Bangalore Group of Temples is annexed hereto and marked as Annexure 3. 6. The oversight committee appointed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court recorded in the proceedings of its 25th meeting that the negotiations for settlement failed on account of difference on a theosophical issue and that the mediation process was closed. However the mediators expressed the hope that if not now in future, parties would be in a position to sort out their differences and arrive at a settlement for the benefit of ISKCON Movement and its innumerable followers and devotees. A true copy of the said proceedings is annexed hereto as Annexure 4.
Proposal: 7. As part of the proposal, ISKCON Bangalore would like to clarify on behalf of Bangalore Group of ISKCON temples and trusts as per the list annexed hereto as Annexure 5 that they are prepared to bring the suit property of Hare Krishna Hills and the properties of all these temples and trusts which are not part of the subject matter of the SLP under the ownership and control of ISKCON Mumbai including their two flagship projects (1) Krishna Lila Theme Park – A
cultural heritage tourism project executed by a consortium of several trusts, a construction and a maintenance company at a cost of about Rs 500 crores. (2) Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir – a skyscraper temple (700 feet high) in Vrindavan, Mathura District at a cost of about Rs 300 crores subject to the solitary condition of a spiritual need, stipulated in para 4 above. The colour brochures of the above two flagship projects are herewith annexed as Annexure 6 and Annexure 7. The ISKCON Bangalore not only represents the firm conviction of the leaders of the Bangalore Group of ISKCON temples and trusts but also over 400 missionaries who have devoted their lives and are living and serving in the ISKCON Bangalore group of Temples and about 2000 congregation devotees who practice and promote the Ritvik system. Apart from these, there are several thousands of ISKCON devotees all over the world who share this view but were constrained to leave ISKCON. This vast community of world-wide devotees would be delighted to see that the dispute is settled as proposed by ISKCON Bangalore and they too have a few ISKCON temples in India to practice Krishna consciousness and their faith in the Ritvik system. 8. I hope your client would appreciate that ISKCON Bangalore is prepared to part with full ownership and control not only of the suit properties but all other properties belonging to Bangalore Group of Temples and trusts in consideration of acceptance of one solitary condition of a spiritual need which is consistent with the wishes of the Founder of the movement Srila Prabhupada. The condition that ISKCON Bangalore and all its missionaries and followers would like to see that there is only one Acharya of the movement namely the Founder as the sole initiating Acharya through the ritviks as mandated by him vide Annexure-1. 9. I request that you, Shri K.K. Venugopal, Senior Advocate, and your client to appreciate that my client namely ISKCON Bangalore is keen to settle the dispute in terms of the proposal made above and both sides agree to practice and promote the Ritvik system of initiation in the temples on the Hare Krishna Hill and all other temples as given in Annexure 5 without discrimination and assure autonomous functioning of each temple consistent with the ideals of ISKCON movement as desired by the Founder Srila Prabhupada. 10. In short, my client is willing to compromise to any extent with respect to their rights in the properties but without curtailing their freedom to profess, practice and propagate their faith in the ritvik system of ISKCON movement which they consider as the sacred order of the Founder, Srila Prabhupada. 11. You may kindly get a response from your clients at the earliest as you are well aware that any adjournment will only cause hardship to my client due to non-disposal of IA-28 which is ordered to be only heard with the main matter.
Yours sincerely, MAHALAKSHMI PAVANI ADVOCATE-ON-RECORD We understand that the case has been listed to be heard in the Apex court today, which basically means that the offer of peace by ISKCON Bangalore has not been accepted by ISKCON Mumbai. We shall keep you abreast of the details on how ISKCON Mumbai responded to this shortly.