ISKCON to Take Legal Action against SHKMS

BY: STAFF CORRESPONDENT

LAND ALLOTMENT ROW: Chairman of the South Divisional
Council of ISKCON, Vedanta Chaitanya das, addressing a media conference in
Hyderabad on Thursday.

Mar 05, HYDERABAD, INDIA (EXPRESS NEWS SVC.) — Allotment of five acres of land estimated to be worth Rs 200 crore at Banjara Hills Road No. 12 by the Endowments Department to a trust named Sri Hare Krishna Movement Society (SHKMS) is receiving strong resistance from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). The ISKCON authorities are planning to initiate legal action against the management of the SHKMS for allegedly using the name of ISKCON to claim the prime land.

ISKCON South India Divisional Council Chairman, Vedanta Chaitanya das Thursday said the ISKCON had nothing to do with the land allotment and the SHKMS had no affiliation with the ISKCON. “Its founder Chanchalalapati das was expelled from the ISKCON in 2001 itself, for misusing the name of the ISKCON for his personal gain. He is involved in several fraudulent deals and cases are pending against him in several places, including the Bangalore City Civil Court,” he said.

According to him, Chanchalapati das worked as the President of ISKCON Bangalore branch from 1984 to 2001, but was expelled from the society for trying to take possession of some land belonging to ISKCON. A case is reportedly pending against the accused in the Bangalore City Civil Court in this connection.

The ISKCON devotees pointed out that government officials should have checked the credentials of Chanchalalapati das before allotting the land to him. The five-acre land was allotted on a long-term lease of 99 years at a token rent through GO 359 on February 28. The land was the property of Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swami Devasthanam of Yadagirigutta.

Meanwhile, doubts are being raised by the ISKCON devotees over involvement of higher authorities in the Endowments Department for allotting the land to the SHKMS. It is learnt that the authorities recommended the handing over of the land to the SHKMS, stating that of about 26-acre endowment land, locals encroached 21.38 acres with pucca houses. The land has been reportedly handed over to prevent further encroachments and ensure all-over development of the area for spiritual activities. However, Endowments Department Commissioner P. Sundar Kumar was not available for comment.