ISKCON Tussle: HC Warns of CBI

BY: STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Jul 17, BANGALORE, INDIA (TIMES OF INDIA) A division Bench of the high court on Friday indicated that it may order a CBI enquiry if nobody takes responsibility of a mysterious courier sent to two officiating judges. The Bench wants an unconditional apology too.

The Bench headed by Justice K L Manjunath adjourned the hearing by a week so that Bangalore ISKCON can file an additional affidavit.

While both parties -- the other one being Mumbai ISKCON -- maintained that they have not sent the courier, Bangalore ISKCON said the photo sent to the court may have been stolen from an album maintained by it.

"If the party concerned owns up its mistake and gives an unconditional apology, then it's okay. But I won't tolerate anyone doubting my integrity. This kind of things should not happen to judges. Let the CBI investigate and the culprits be shown to the public," the court observed.

Former advocate Udaya Holla, who appeared for Mumbai ISKCON, said such `Bench hunting' should be punished.

"The court's integrity should be maintained and `litigant terrorists' who want to scandalize the judiciary should be shown their place," Holla said, quoting a Supreme Court judgment that criticized `Bench hunting'.

As per the July 10 order, both ISKCON centres filed affidavits, saying the mysterious courier sent to the judges wasn't their handiwork.

The court was hearing a regular first appeal (RFA) filed by Mumbai ISKCON, challenging the April 17 verdict of the IX Additional Civil and Sessions Court, that said the property in Hare Krishna Hills in Rajajinagar belongs to Bangalore ISKCON -- and that it's a separate entity.

"There is only one ISKCON and the Bangalore unit is just a branch," the appellant had said.

In the courier sent to Judges K L Manjunath and C R Kumaraswamy, a photograph shows the judge receiving a picture of the temple's deity. It also contained a letter, asking how the judge can hear the same matter when he had visited the temple many times and received 'gifts'.

The cover had Jayapataka Swamy Shishya Samooha as the sender's address.

When the judge showed the courier to both parties, both quickly denied that they had sent it.