In a significant ruling that ends a 24-year-old property dispute, the Supreme Court on Friday (May 16) upheld the rights of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Bangalore over the ISKCON temple located at Hare Krishna Hills, Rajajinagar, Bengaluru.

A Bench comprising Justice Abhay S. Oka and Justice Augustine George Masih set aside the 2011 Karnataka High Court judgment which had held that the temple belonged to ISKCON Mumbai. The apex court restored the decree of the trial court, affirming ISKCON Bangalore’s ownership and control over the property.

ISKCON Bangalore, a society registered under the Karnataka Societies Registration Act in July 1978, had acquired approximately six acres of land from the Bangalore Development Authority on August 3, 1988. It went on to construct a temple and cultural complex on the site with funds contributed by devotees.

ISKCON Mumbai, on the other hand, was registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, and the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950. Founded by Srila Prabhupada in 1966, it operates from its registered office in Juhu, Mumbai.

The legal battle began in 2001 when ISKCON Bangalore filed a civil suit seeking a declaration that it was the absolute owner and possessor of the Hare Krishna Hills property. It also sought declarations stating that ISKCON Mumbai had no authority to interfere with its administration, including the appointment or removal of office-bearers, and prayed for a permanent injunction restraining such interference.

ISKCON Mumbai countered, asserting that the Bangalore society had never functioned as an independent legal entity but merely as a branch under its control. It argued that all properties acquired by or in the name of ISKCON Bangalore belonged to ISKCON Mumbai.

In 2009, the trial court ruled in favour of ISKCON Bangalore, declaring it the absolute owner of the temple property and rejecting ISKCON Mumbai’s counterclaim for a permanent injunction. However, in May 2011, the Karnataka High Court overturned the trial court’s ruling, accepting ISKCON Mumbai’s claim that the Bangalore society functioned merely as its branch. The High Court held that title and possession of the property vested in ISKCON Mumbai and dismissed the Bangalore society’s suit.

Friday’s Supreme Court decision reinstates the trial court’s decree and finally settles the ownership in favour of ISKCON Bangalore.

Case Details:

• Case No.: Civil Appeal Nos. 9314-9315 of 2014

• Case Title: International Society for Krishna Consciousness Bangalore v. International Society for Krishna Consciousness Mumbai & Ors.

• Advocate on Record for ISKCON Bangalore: Kartik Seth