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Dear ISKCON Devotees,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

The ISKCON Governing Body Commission (GBC) has noted the Supreme Court of India’s judgment dated 16 May 2025 in the long-standing property dispute between ISKCON Mumbai and ISKCON Bengaluru. ISKCON Mumbai is the official legal entity registered by ISKCON’s Founder-Acharya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in January 1971 to be the single legal corporation for all ISKCON temples in India.

It is critical to note that while ISKCON Mumbai was not successful in this case, the May 2025 Supreme Court of India ruling pertains exclusively to a property dispute between ISKCON Mumbai and Bengaluru. The essential point of contention was whether the Bengaluru organization was under ISKCON as Srila Prabhupada ordered in his Will. While the Supreme Court verdict grants the Bengaluru entity the right to use the ISKCON name, it grants no theological recognition or doctrinal endorsement to the ritvik philosophy.

Following the Court’s ruling in favor of Bengaluru in the property matter, Madhu Pandit Dasa, president of the Bengaluru entity, reached out to both the GBC and the India Bureau with a proposal whereby the Bengaluru group of temples would agree to serve under the Governing Body Commission.

While the gesture is appreciated, it came with “a non-negotiable precondition” that the GBC must first agree to rescind its 1990 resolution against the ritvik theory, before any discussion could occur. That resolution declares the ritvik theory to be incompatible with the principle of disciplic succession (parampara) as established by Lord Krishna, taught by ISKCON’s Founder-Acharya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and upheld by all previous acharyas. The resolution deemed the ritvik theory a philosophical deviation and prohibited its propagation in ISKCON.

Following the Supreme Court decision and receipt of the Bengaluru proposal, the GBC convened two special meetings of the entire GBC to study the nuances of the decision and the Bengaluru proposal. After careful deliberation, the GBC voted to uphold its previous resolution in full and reaffirmed that the ritvik theory is fundamentally a heresy that directly contradicts the principle of guru-parampara. The GBC reiterates that no one has the authority to change the essential teachings of the parampara system as given by our Founder-Acharya.

The GBC remains committed to open dialogue and discussion, with a sincere desire to unite ISKCON. We continue to appeal to the proponents of the ritvik theory to carefully reconsider their stance in light of the full breadth of Srila Prabhupada’s teachings.

Your servants,
Govardhan Das
Tapana Misra Das
Madhu Sevita Das
GBC Executive Committee