HC dismisses Mumbai group's claim over B'luru Iskcon

The High Court on Thursday dismissed an appeal by Mumbai Iskcon, seeking the ownership of the Hare Krishna Hills on West of Chord Road here.

Hearing the appeal by Prasannatma Das and others, followers of Mumbai Iskcon, Justice Anand Byra Reddy upheld the lower court order, which had in 2009 dismissed the claim of ownership by Iskcon Mumbai and observed that the Mumbai group had no locus standi to claim ownership of the Bengaluru centre.

The appellants had claimed that they were the original owners of the said property and had termed Madhu Pandita Dasa, chairman of the governing body of Iskcon, Bengaluru, and his followers as imposters. They had illegally proclaimed themselves as owners of Iskcon, Bengaluru, the appellants had said.

They had sought that they be given control of Iskcon, Bengaluru and declared rightful owners of Hare Krishna Hills, popularly known as Iskcon temple.

The court also allowed Madhu Pandita Das to continue as the head of Iskcon, Bengaluru. With this, the long legal battle since the late 1990s between the two Iskcon groups has come to an end.