Supreme Court Declares ISKCON Bangalore As Lawful Owner Of Hare Krishna Temple In Bengaluru

The Bench of Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Augustine George Masih allowed the plea filed by ISKCON Bangalore, overturning a 2011 Karnataka High Court judgment that had favoured ISKCON Mumbai’s claim over the temple’s control.

The dispute, spanning more than a decade, involved two entities with similar names and spiritual missions, ISKCON Bangalore and ISKCON Mumbai. ISKCON Bangalore, represented by its office-bearer Kodandarama Dasa, moved the Supreme Court on June 2, 2011, challenging the High Court's May 23, 2011 ruling.

The High Court had reversed a 2009 decision of a Bengaluru trial court that had ruled in favour of ISKCON Bangalore, affirming its legal title to the temple and granting a permanent injunction against ISKCON Mumbai.

While ISKCON Bangalore maintained that it is an independent entity that has been managing the temple for decades, ISKCON Mumbai asserted that the Bangalore unit is merely a branch under its administrative and legal jurisdiction. ISKCON Mumbai is registered under the national Societies Registration Act of 1860 and the Bombay Public Trusts Act, 1950.

Rejecting ISKCON Mumbai’s claim, the Supreme Court restored the trial court’s findings and affirmed ISKCON Bangalore’s legal and independent ownership of the Hare Krishna temple in Bengaluru.