Supreme Court

SC Raps ISKCON Kolkata For Frivolous Case Against ISKCON Bengaluru

The Supreme Court recently took strong exception against International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISCKON) official in Kolkata for initiating frivolous criminal proceedings against an ISKCON official in Bengaluru.

A bench of Justice Ajay Rastogi and Justice Bela M Trivedi noted that the proceedings were initiated based on a complaint filed 8 years after the incident involving bus theft, and that it was done to settle personal scores with the appellant-accused.

“If the facts of the case are appreciated, there remains no shadow of doubt that the complaint filed by the respondent-complainant after an inordinate unexplained delay of eight years was nothing but sheer misuse and abuse of the process of law to settle the personal scores with the appellants, and that continuation of such malicious prosecution would also be further abuse and misuse of process of law, more particularly when neither the allegations made in the complaint nor in the chargesheet, disclose any prima facie case against the appellants,” the bench noted.

Furthermore, the Court stated that the investigating officer did not bother to gather any credible evidence to prosecute the appellants-accused.

As a result, the bench quashed the proceedings and also made it clear that courts should not be used to settle personal scores or nurture egos, and imposed ₹1 lakh costs on the ISCKON Kolkata official.

The decision was made in appeals against a Calcutta High Court order that refused to quash the chargesheet filed against the appellants-accused for offenses under Indian Penal Code Sections 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using a forged document or electronic record as genuine), 406 (criminal breach of trust), and 120B (criminal conspiracy).

The ISKCON is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious organization founded in New York to promote Lord Krishna’s teachings.

Madhu Pandit Dasa, the main accused, is the chairperson of ISKCON Bengaluru and a Padma Shri awardee.

Senior Advocate Shyam Divan, who was representing the accused, noted that the complaint was filed nearly 8 years after the bus allegedly went missing. Furthermore, the allegations were made solely for the purpose of harassing the accused.

He added that the accused had expressed a desire to purchase a new luxury bus in the name of ISKCON Kolkata.

The final report had already been prepared, according to Senior Advocate Krishnan Venugopal, and the offences were not compoundable.

 

Nunnem Gangte

Recent Posts

Punjab & Haryana HC Notice To Jindal Law School Over AI-Generated Exam Claims

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday has issued a notice to Jindal Global…

2 hours ago

ED Files Money Laundering Complaint Against Charanjit Singh Bajaj, 4 Others

The ED on Tuesday has filed a Prosecution Complaint before the Special Court in Mohali…

3 hours ago

Pune Porsche Case: SC Rejects Anticipatory Bail To Father Of Minor Driver’s Friend

The Supreme Court on Tuesday denied bail to Arunkumar Devnath Singh, whose son is a…

4 hours ago

SC Dumps Plea Against Quashing LOC For Sushant Singh Rajput’s Ex-House Help

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the Centre's appeal against a Bombay High Court order…

4 hours ago

Rape Case: SC Issues Notice On Ex-Army Officer’s Plea For Quashing Charge sheet

The Supreme Court on Tuesday has agreed to review a plea from retired Army Captain…

5 hours ago

Chhattisgarh NAN Scam: FIR Against 2 Retired IAS Officers, Former AG

The Chhattisgarh Anti-Corruption Bureau on Tuesday has registered a case against 2 retired IAS officers…

5 hours ago