SC Revisits Bengaluru Temple Verdict as Iskcon Mumbai Seeks Review

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The Supreme Court has agreed to reconsider its May decision that gave control of the Iskcon Bengaluru temple to the local faction, in a move that could change the course of a long-standing dispute between two rival groups. The court issued a notice to the Bengaluru faction after Iskcon Mumbai filed a review petition, claiming sole ownership of the temple based on its registration in 1971 in Mumbai. A three-judge bench, led by Justice MM Sundresh, has asked the Bengaluru faction to respond to the review plea and scheduled a further hearing for January 22. The court's decision to revisit its earlier verdict comes after a split verdict by a previous bench on whether to entertain the review petition. The dispute between the two factions has been ongoing for years, with the Karnataka high court initially ruling in favour of the Mumbai faction in 2019. However, the Bengaluru faction appealed to the Supreme Court, which initially upheld the decision in May this year. Iskcon Mumbai claims that the Supreme Court made an error by recognising a defunct society as the owner of the temple and its properties, and that the court ignored serious issues of forgery and fabrication by the Bengaluru faction. The review petition filed by Iskcon Mumbai states that the Bengaluru faction has been involved in irregularities and that the court's earlier decision was based on incorrect information. The petition also claims that the Bengaluru faction has been trying to revive a defunct society by forging documents and manipulating records. The Iskcon Bengaluru temple has been at the centre of a bitter dispute between the two factions, with both groups claiming ownership of the temple and its properties. The Supreme Court's decision to revisit its earlier verdict is seen as a significant development in the ongoing dispute, and could potentially change the course of the case.