In a landmark verdict delivered on Friday, May 16, 2025, the Supreme Court of India brought an end to a 25-year-long legal battle between ISKCON Bangalore and ISKCON Mumbai, ruling that the Hare Krishna temple in Bengaluru rightfully belongs to ISKCON Bangalore. The decision overturns a previous ruling by the Karnataka High Court, which had favored ISKCON Mumbai.

The dispute centered on the control and ownership of the iconic Hare Krishna temple and its associated educational complex in Bengaluru, a prominent religious and cultural center. ISKCON Bangalore, a society registered under the Karnataka Societies Registration Act, 1978, has maintained that it operates independently and has been managing the Bengaluru temple for decades. They argued that they are a distinct legal entity and not subordinate to ISKCON Mumbai.

ISKCON Mumbai, registered under the national Societies Registration Act of 1860 and the Bombay Public Trusts Act of 1950, had claimed that ISKCON Bangalore was merely a branch under its jurisdiction and that the temple property rightfully belonged to them.

A bench of Justices A S Oka and Augustine George Masih delivered the Supreme Court verdict, allowing the plea of ISKCON Bangalore challenging the Karnataka High Court order of May 23, 2011. ISKCON Bangalore had approached the Supreme Court on June 2, 2011, after the High Court reversed a 2009 ruling from a local Bengaluru court that had recognized ISKCON Bangalore's legal title and granted a permanent injunction against ISKCON Mumbai. The Supreme Court's decision effectively restores the 2009 trial court order.

The Supreme Court's decision not only restores control of the temple complex to ISKCON Bangalore but also affirms its independent legal identity. The judgment is expected to have significant implications for the administration of ISKCON temples and organizations across the country.