Court orders arrest of ISKCON's former city president

Sify News/March 18, 2005

Kolkata -- A city court on Thursday directed the police to arrest former president of ISKCON's city unit, Adridharan Das, for alleged misappropriation of funds and cheating.

The Sub-divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM), Alipore, directed the police to pursue the non-bailable arrest warrant, which was issued on December 9, 2002, following Adridharan's failure to comply with his assurance before the Supreme Court to surrender before the SDJM on Thursday.

Adridharan had been accused of misusing his power as president of ISKCON's Kolkata unit and was removed from the post. He then moved a petition before Calcutta High Court challenging his removal, but the court approved his removal.

However, it was alleged that Adridharan, without revealing his removal from the post, had subsequently received huge sum of money and other favours in the name of ISKCON.

Dayaram Das, who was appointed as new president of the ISKCON unit, filed a case of cheating, misappropriation of funds and forgery against Adridharan before SDJM, Alipore.

Adridharan, who then left for Bangalore, moved the district court there in August, 2002, and prayed for anticipatory bail. The court asked him to surrender before Alipore SDJM within 10 days. However, he failed to turn up before the court and an arrest warrant was issued by SDJM.

His pleas for anticipatory bail were rejected by the Alipore sessions court and then by the Calcutta High Court in November 2003. He filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) against the order before the Supreme Court, which rejected his prayer on February 21 this year.