M A I N   N E W S

Biggest Hindu temple in Russia likely to be razed
Aditi Tandon/TNS

The building that houses the temple. — PTI

New Delhi, March 30
Demolition of the biggest Hindu temple in Russia is imminent now after after an arbitration court in St Petersburg ruled in favour of the state institution that sought cancellation of the lease deed with the Vedic Society for Spiritual Development managing the Temple in the area.

The Federal Arbitration Court of the North-West District in Saint Petersburg, Russia, took the decision to uphold the order of 13 Arbitration Appeal Court in the related case that has the Hindus in Russia once again on tenterhooks. Soon after the court pronounced the orders, Russian owners of the eight-storey building that houses the multi-deity temple and a Vedic cultural centre, sought to get it evicted this morning.

Managers of the Vedic centre approached local police to get the eviction process stayed till the time court orders were published. The Vedic centre has also approached the Consul General of India in St Petersburg Vishvas Sapkal with a petition in this regard. The latter is learnt to have taken up the issue with Russian Foreign Ministry.

Speaking to The Tribune today, Chairman of the Vedic centre in St Petersburg Suren Karapetyan said, “The Consul General has taken up the issue with the Foreign Minister in Russia. But we fear immediate demolition of the temple which gets 20,000 visitors a month. The cultural centre is also bound to be closed. We have the option of appealing in the Supreme Arbitration Court of Russia but that would be possible only after we get the signed copy of the judgment. That could take a while. By then, we are sure the Temple would be down.”

With the court ruling in favour of the Russian owners, the 49-year-old lease agreement between the Local Hindu religious organisation, Vedic Society of Spiritual Development and the state owned corporation JSC Gosniikhimanalit stands cancelled.

The order came on a review petition the Vedic Society had filed against the decision of the lower court to cancel the lease.

Owners of the building had earlier leased the area for 49 years to the Centre for Spiritual Development which manages the Vedic cultural centre and the temple. “The cultural centre is involved in promoting ancient Indian traditions including Sanskrit and Yoga studies. It had not violated any point of the 49-year lease deed signed in 1992 and has been following it, but now that we have lost the case, the temple will be demolished,” Karapetyan said today.

Hindus in Russia had last year protested moves to ban the Bhagawad Gita.