Supreme Court and ISKCON Child Abuse / Sannyasa and Women 11 26 25

 

Supreme Court Steps In Over Shocking Sexual Abuse Claims in ISKCON Schools, Directs Fresh Probe by Child Rights Bodies

By Hardik Khandelwal

25 November 2025, 2:24 PM

The Supreme Court heard serious allegations of sexual abuse in ISKCON-run schools and questioned the lack of action by authorities. The bench directed petitioners to approach NCPCR and state child rights commissions, stressing that children’s safety must be examined by a neutral body.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India recently heard a serious petition concerning alleged sexual abuse of children in schools run by the ISKCON organisation. The matter was listed before a bench comprising Justices BV Nagarathna and R Mahadevan.

The case raised concerns about the safety and welfare of children and whether the authorities had taken proper action on complaints made by the victims and their representatives.

ALSO READ: Supreme Court Declares Hare Krishna Temple in Bengaluru Belongs to ISKCON Bangalore, Not Mumbai

During the hearing, the counsel appearing for the petitioners informed the Court that there were grave and disturbing incidents of sexual abuse involving children in ISKCON-run schools. It was submitted that despite repeatedly informing the concerned authorities, no effective action had been taken. The counsel stated,
“There are serious incidents, and authorities aren’t acting despite reminders.”

Justice Nagarathna questioned the steps taken by the petitioners and asked, “Have you gone to NCPCR?” Responding to this, the counsel said, “Yes, but no response.”

The Court then observed that another reminder should be sent and further inquired about the status of any criminal proceedings by asking, “Send another reminder. Any FIR or investigation?”

The counsel clarified that based on the internal records of ISKCON institutions, complaints had already been made to the police authorities. After considering the submissions, the Supreme Court passed its order and disposed of the petition. The bench granted liberty to the petitioners to file a fresh representation before the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) as well as the State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

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It directed that these authorities must consider the grievances raised. The Court recorded in its order,

“We dispose of this petition by reserving liberty to the petitioners herein to make a fresh representation / reminder to NCPCR, UP SCPCR and West Bengal SCPCR to bring to the notice of these respondents the allegations that are ventilated in this petition. It is needless to observe that if such representations are made to the aforesaid respondents, the same shall be considered having regard to the grievances and allegations which are stated in the representation/in the writ petition,”

During the proceedings, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing on behalf of ISKCON, argued that the petition was not genuine and was linked to internal disputes within the organisation. He submitted, “This stems from a dispute between ISKCON factions.”

He further explained that the disagreement was between the Bangalore faction of ISKCON and other units, and the matter was already pending before a three-judge bench following differences within a review bench.

However, the petitioners strongly denied any connection between this case and the internal factional conflict. Emphasising the nature of the allegations and the importance of children’s safety, Justice Nagarathna made it clear that the Court was focusing only on the welfare of the children.

ALSO READ: “ISKCON is a Religious Fundamentalist Organization”: Bangladesh Govt. to High Court

She stated, “This case has something to do with children … that’s why we have asked you to go to the neutral body,” and again reiterated, “The issue concerns children. That’s why we directed you to a neutral body.” The Supreme Court made it clear that the appropriate course of action was for the petitioners to approach independent and neutral statutory bodies that are specifically meant to safeguard children’s rights. These commissions are now expected to examine the allegations in detail and take necessary steps as per law.

Case Title:
RAJNEESH KAPUR Vs UNION OF INDIA
W.P.(Crl.) No. 398/2025 Diary No. 51457 / 2025

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DG: Iskcon hired Kapil Sibbal as lawyer!!! He is well known to represent terrorists and politicians accused of serious corruption. To me, this speaks volumes.

DL Dasi: True and horrible.

SRD: Imagine a world where ISKCON had invested the exorbitant sums of money that they'll have to pay to this sketchy lawyer, in the protection and welfare of their children!

DG: Kapil Sibal, a prominent and high-profile senior advocate in the Supreme Court of India, reportedly charges between ₹7 lakh to ₹15 lakh (approximately $8,400 to $18,000 USD) per appearance. Other sources suggest a range of up to ₹20 lakh to ₹25 lakh per appearance depending on the complexity and profile of the case.

His fees place him among the most expensive lawyers in the country. In one instance, the government of Kerala reportedly paid him over ₹1.37 crore (approximately $164,000 USD) to appear in two cases.

MM Devi Dasi: If someone is facing sexual-abuse charges and is found guilty, can additional people from their past come forward with accusations that could lead to more charges?

MA Dasi: Oh no!

AC Dasi: Paying lawyers, sounds about right, lol!!

DD: I don't know the Indian legislative dynamics ..... could you help me understand the meaning of this news?

DG: Essentially petitioners filed a case in India's Supreme Court against iskcon for ignoring child abuse in the institution. The Supreme Court directed them to file their petitions with the national commission for child protection and local police. 

Iskcon was represented by this infamous lawyer who tried to argue that ritviks were somehow behind this petition, which the Supreme Court did not accept, saying the issues of child abuse in iskcon are well known. This is what I understand and my apologies if I got this incorrect.

DD: Thank you very much for your reply.

MM Dasi: I feel it! The judge's words! So, could this be like the moment when Lord Krishna and Arjuna blew the conch shell and it was tumultuous. 

RC: Finally something ... Let's see if there is follow through .

PD: Yeah the GBC hired the most famous corruption defender lawyers in India, who are allegedly $20,000 an hour. And the GBC sent in a squad of saffron clad swamis to try to show their saintly-ness. ISKCON previously hired Alan Dershowitz to defend Kirtanananda, and he also defends Epstein, Harvey Weinstein etc. They spent hundreds of thousands defending Kirtanananda, and now you know why the children have had no soap and shoes, the GBC program runs on the principle of buying Luis Vuitton for lawyers. Told ya! ys pd

HK: When urged to spend more on child protection, they shrug and say, "we ain't got no money, sorry". But when it comes to protecting their @sses, money immediately manifests like magic.

EL: High ranking ISKCON mafians always have a lot of money.

DG: Its shocking! If the GBC are innocent, why hire expensive lawyers to defend?! Anyways, the money is not hard-earned by GBC- its easily gotten from innocent devotees.

PM: Do you think that ISKCON paedophile networks are connected to other outside paedophile networks?

PD: Is it coincidence that Alan Dershowitz was hired to defend predators, and he was also hand picked to defend their guru Kirtanananda? There is a connection because they cooperatively know how to defend each other. Satsvarupa also has the "little boy lover" symbol found in the FEDS web site in his art. Is is a coincidence that Jane Wallace could see that Kirtanananda covered with the hands of many boys was "pe do heaven," but none of the GBC leaders could? ys pd

PM: Not a coincidence I suspect. Where did you get the screen shot of Satsvarup's art? I didn't know those disturbed people had a symbol for their dangerous fetish.

VD: These sick (SDG Painting) monstrosities are on a website??? My God, these come from a highly disturbed and twisted mind. 

BB: Yes and that is why the GBC people have a big SDG art show every year with his Vyasa Puja.

TB: It’s about time !

GP: We the regular members are the ones who paid the abusers bills this last 50 year's, it's time to stop paying, and get the abusers locked up. No more criminalising the institution. Criminalises the abusers directly.

SRD: Prosecuting the abusers is important. It is also equally important to hold accountable the institution that has enabled the abuse.

GP: The way I see it the situation is, you me and all other members are the institution, and if the perpetrators and their enablers are removed and jailed, at their own expense, not ours, that's a result.

Us paying every time and the abusers and their facilitates walking free is not a good deal, in my estimation. It seems we also get some bad karma for bailing them out with our misplaced compasion time and money.

BM: Has the court acted on the poison case?

SRD: The fact that so many devotees are feeling relieved at this news, ought to be a wake up call for the ISKCON leadership, perhaps it's time to change their consciousness.

GP: I am thinking by not throwing the abusers and their facilitates under the bus, as it were, we shot ourselves and our children and our community in the foot, as it were. On top of that we paid all the bills and fines and filled the bank accounts of the criminals. Sometimes I ask myself was I that stupid were we that naieve, looks like we were and still are to some extent.

RSD: The whole GBC needs to be disbanded and fresh faces of sincerity need to be appointed. Limited terms and elected by the rank and file. The GBC are like career politicians and the longer they stay in their position the more open they are to corruption. Every present GBC member is to be blamed for this dire situation. 

I think only one has spoken out against this disgusting practice of child sex abuse. Happy to be corrected if there is more. All the others need to go to jail for enabling such a culture along with the perpetrators. This whole sordid affair has gone on for too long and shows me how pathetic the institution has become. No hearts will be changed while this scourge continues.

YD: Pretend it didn’t happen! Hire big lawyers! Great policy!

VD: Srila Bhaktisiddhanta explained this situation so perfectly:

“The church that has the best chance of survival in this damned world is that of atheism under the convenient guise of theism. The churches have always proved the staunchest upholders of the grossest form of worldliness from which even the worst of non-ecclesiastical criminals are found to recoil.”

(Organized Religion)

MM: Wonderful news!

KD: When reports of child abuse within the Catholic Church surfaced in the media, they sent a sythe through its congregations, causing widespread disillusionment. While the recent developments surrounding ISKCON appear to be moving toward greater transparency and accountability, the context is markedly different (east vs west justice systems, ecclesiastical practice, organisational structure, etc). These distinctions suggest that this might not simply be a repeat or version 2.0 of the Catholic Church’s crisis.

SRD: How do you envision that this will unfold differently?

KD: Part of what sets this situation apart lies in the nature of the Indian legal system, which is often slow-moving and filled with procedural detours. These can allow institutions to cook things on a low flame and / or deflect accountability, often by placing the blame on lower-tier individuals. By the time any verdict is reached, many of those in senior leadership positions may no longer even be around to face whatever consequences may arise.

In contrast, the Catholic Church’s reckoning unfolded primarily under the US legal system, which (despite its flaws) is more structurally equipped to investigate, prosecute, and publicly scrutinize powerful institutions and people. 

That accountability was further fueled by deep historical tensions between Catholicism and Protestantism. Since Protestantism played a significant role in shaping Western secularism, there was already a cultural and ideological current that viewed the Catholic hierarchy as a relic of a bygone era, making it ripe for challenge and reform. 

So when the abuse scandals surfaced, the cultural arena was already constructed to absorb and amplify the news. With ISKCON, however, the situation is different. Reporting remains mired in legal and procedural language, and any broader public narrative has yet to properly crystallize.

In India, the religious and sociopolitical landscape is fundamentally different (arguably even the inverse) of what unfolded with the Catholic Church in the West. While there are echoes of the Protestant-Catholic divide in the tension between Hindu and Muslim identities, the dominant position of Hinduism in India today aligns more closely with the role Protestantism played in the US during the Catholic abuse scandals. In that context, Catholicism was the "other," making it more culturally vulnerable to critique and exposure.

By contrast, ISKCON, as a Hindu-rooted organization, exists within a framework where the cultural and institutional environment is not primed to challenge or scrutinize it with the same intensity. That doesn’t mean ISKCON gets a free pass, but it does mean the broader public discourse is far less equipped (or inclined) to amplify these allegations in a sustained, systemic way.

There may still be repercussions in the West, especially where media narratives follow different logics, but even there the situation is complicated. ISKCON’s demographic center of gravity has shifted significantly toward Indian diaspora communities, even in Western countries. If the story breaks more widely, it’s likely to be framed as a quirky epilogue “Whatever happened to the Hare Krishnas?” focusing more on the movement’s transformation from a countercultural Western phenomenon into a conventional Indian religious institution. 

Western ISKCON leaders will likely emphasize that any abuse cases in their ranks are historical and already addressed, distancing themselves from current events in India.

Also worth noting is the current momentum around the ISKCON case seems to be driven by ritviks or their affiliates. While they share a strong opposition to ISKCON’s current leadership, ritviks lack a unified doctrinal or cultural foundation (or even a traditional one, which is highly important in Indian discourse). 

They resemble a loosely connected opposition rather than a coherent reformist movement. This makes it harder for them to sustain long-term pressure.

At the same time, ISKCON is a highly decentralized organization. Its spiritual leaders often view the institutional structure as a practical necessity rather than a point of ideological commitment (unlike the centralized theological allegiance seen in Catholicism, both amongst its leaders and its congregation). 

Many of these gurus already run parallel initiatives or spiritual projects that function semi-independently of ISKCON’s formal apparatus. This decentralization creates a built-in buffer. If the institution comes under legal or public scrutiny, individual gurus can more easily step back, distancing themselves from the fallout without wholesale loss of their spiritual legitimacy or follower base.

Of course, predicting how this will unfold is speculative at best. My focus is less on long term forecasting and more on using historical foundations to shed light on current dynamics. Much depends on the evolving political and social landscape within India, and unexpected developments (both domestic and global) could jumble the game board entirely.

AP: If someone has a contact number for them we should all write to confirm that the allegations aren't just allegations but HARD FACTS. I pray that everything comes to light and the previous / current management is thrown out.

S Dasi: "The Supreme Court made it clear that the appropriate course of action was for the petitioners to approach independent and neutral statutory bodies that are specifically meant to safeguard children’s rights." I'm afraid this will get bogged down in Indian bureaucracy.

BB: Doing what they do best, spending money on lawyers to defend themselves, hoping the court will kick the can down the road ... and they will all be dead by the time an agreement is reached. Harassing. Creating confusion. Making excuses. Foot dragging at every step. They will be surprised when no one comes to defend them in the real court after death. 

RJ: Indian Government and Child Protection authorities are unlikely to take any action against ISKCON on these allegations. Abuse of children and women is widespread in India. GBC knows that ...

PADA: Yep, most expensive criminal defense lawyers, most expensive health care, and overall nice Saudi Prince life styles. No wonder they lawyered up, they have a lot to lose. As per usual -- this is all about the ritviks -- and has nothing to do with child abuse. 

Really? Sorry this argument just does not cut it anymore -- because most of the children victims have left ISKCON. They did not join "the ritviks." Or they joined other sanghas. Or they are blooped out and hate the religion, but in any case they are not ritviks or anything of the sort. And most of them have little to no connection to ISKCON and / or "the ritviks." 

It is a stalling technique. But getting anything done in India is like a bureaucratic nightmare and the GBC folks are all old aged and wiped out, so they probably just hope to run out the clock. Maybe the child welfare agencies will be forced to speed up due to court pressure, lets see. My understanding is that reports were already made to some agencies there -- and nothing was ever done. India is sort of cursed to be an imbroglio for victims, especially poor ones, and the GBC takes advantage. Lets hope it is different this time.  

ys pd angel108b@yahoo.com   

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The Celebrity Sannyasis and the Women Who Serve Them

How Devotion Masks Power, Exploitation, and Illusion in Spiritual Communities
Many years ago, I saw every service opportunity — especially to a sannyasi — as a rare chance to receive 'special mercy'. Whenever one visited, disciples, especially women, rushed to serve him. That perception has changed; I now see them as just another human, perhaps wiser, but not a gateway to salvation. How did this happen?

Once, while cleaning a sannyasi’s rooms, I noticed shelves of luxury skincare products. He wasn’t lecturing that day — he was horse riding on the beach. I enjoy natural cosmetics and horse riding too, but I don’t fund them with disciples’ donations. I wondered: is he a renunciate or a celebrity? If adventure was his calling, he could have become a safari guide.

Only later did I see the real issue: his status made this lifestyle possible. When spiritual leaders hold unquestioned authority, followers are expected to validate their indulgences as spiritual. When I questioned him, I was told he was “in the mode of goodness.” This wasn’t about one man; it revealed a pattern.

A sannyasi is meant to renounce luxury and cultivate humility. Yet some use their position to demand comfort and, in the name of 'service', ask women to provide endless practical and emotional support. Wrapped in saffron, they remain above criticism. Across many hierarchical religions, spiritual authority allows men to convert devotion into free labour, disguising their self-serving motives.

This dynamic appears in ISKCON and in religious organisations like the FLDS, as shown in Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey. Leaders prey on women’s dedication and loyalty. What is promoted to women as “service opportunities” is often exploitation.

When misuse of power is framed as 'spiritual instruction', abuse becomes easier to rationalise. Even after Warren Jeffs’ conviction for sexually assaulting minors, many followers still saw him as saintly. Why? Because it is easier to believe a leader is pure than to admit we worshipped someone deeply flawed.

In ISKCON, the contradiction is sharp. Some sannyasis claim women are “less intelligent,” yet rely on them as cooks, secretaries, translators, and emotional supports. Women are essential for serving the guru — but excluded from leadership.

One sannyasi travelled with a young woman he insisted was his “irreplaceable” translator, even in countries where no translation was needed. She told me he personally instructed her to study English so she could serve him — a revealing detail.

The same sannyasi asked a nineteen-year-old woman to perform a baton-twirling dance to a techno version of “Jaya Jagannath” as an offering. If any ordinary older man asked a teenage girl to dance for him, we’d be outraged. When a guru does it, devotees applaud.

Other sannyasis live with women who act as cooks, assistants, and companions. What is the difference between this and having a wife? The sannyasi receives the benefits of a wife without the commitment, responsibility, or reciprocity of a husband. Why choose one woman when you can claim to “save souls” by accepting service from many?

I’ve spoken to several of these women. They feel handpicked for the guru’s mercy, a rare blessing that commands gratitude and unquestioning devotion. Sannyasis offer a range of reasons why they need a particular woman’s personal service. 

They haven’t been able to find a man who is as reliable, loyal, intelligent, skilled or available. Still, men are considered spiritually & intellectually superior.
If an ordinary man enjoyed such intimacy with a woman who wasn’t his wife, it would be condemned. When a guru does it, it’s framed as transcendental.

Why do we rationalise and justify a sannyasi’s questionable behaviour? Because we want them on a pedestal, above the human struggles we are too familiar with. Admitting they have darkness may make us question our own salvation. Yet denial does not bring growth. Facing our own and others’ shadows is part of maturing.
Of course, not all sannyasis behave this way. Some live modestly and avoid intimate service from women.

Other 'famous' sannyasis insist on travelling in business class and staying in luxury accommodation, claiming that it's “necessary.” Travelling long distances frequently can be taxing on one's health, so flying business class can be legitimate.

But do all their world tours serve the community or their own status and ambition? I recall being instructed to spend more money on one sannyasi's groceries for 5 days, then we were allowed to spend on food for all the ashrama residents for one month. Which makes me wonder, should communities always prioritise sanyasis' needs?

If sannyasis encouraged more senior devotees — including women — to become gurus without the celebrity aura, the community would benefit. Guidance would be accessible. Authority would be shared. And sannyasis would be relieved from the pressures of fame and constant travel.

This shift would highlight a basic truth: a guru doesn’t need to be a celebrity or a mythologised figure. We don’t need someone glamorous or unreachable, whose foot dust sends us into ecstasy. We need someone grounded, wise, compassionate, and sincere.

Spiritual growth comes from steady human guidance, not from worshipping charismatic personalities. Reducing the culture of celebrity would help spiritual communities return to their real purpose: genuine transformation, not personality cults.

For men aspiring to be sannyasis, a psychological screening for dark-trait qualities (Machiavellianism, Narcissism, Psychopathy) might not be entirely absurd. These traits often help individuals rise in rank, but once they reach leadership, the same tendencies can manifest as subtle exploitation, control and abuse.
In addition, a test to see if they can survive a week without women offering them any support of 'service', may filter out a few more men who are less suited as sannyasis.