President, ISKCON Bangalore · Founder-Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation · Padma Shri 2016

Madhu Pandit Dasa, on the record.

Allegations against him were argued before the courts for twenty-five years — and every one failed. This page takes them one by one, in the courts’ own words, and tells the story of what he built while the case dragged on.

01

Madhu Pandit Dasa, and what the courts found.

Allegations of forgery, fabrication and fraud against Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa have circulated for years — and were argued before the courts. This is what the courts actually held, allegation by allegation.

Portrait of Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa

Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa

President, ISKCON Bangalore
Founder-Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation
Padma Shri awardee (2016)

In summary

Every allegation against Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa has failed in court. The charges of forgery, fabrication and manipulation circulated for years — and were argued, fully, before the courts. The Supreme Court found the land record “crystal clear” in ISKCON Bangalore’s favour (¶57), held that the High Court’s findings against individuals “were not warranted at all” (¶58), and quashed the FIR against the ISKCON Bangalore leadership (¶71). No adverse finding against him stands on the record of any court today.

01.01 · Alleged forgery and tampering of land records

The Supreme Court examined the BDA record and found it “crystal clear” in ISKCON Bangalore’s favour: the 1987 allotment application and the 1988 sale deed were in the society’s name, and the words “Bangalore Branch” appear in none of the material documents. No evidence of tampering was found.

¶¶50, 51, 57 · verify

01.02 · Alleged fabrication of the 1984 general body meeting

The certified proceedings and meeting notice were examined by the Trial Court; the challenge “adduced no evidence to prove their case.” The Supreme Court found “no error” in that view. Three courts have accepted the meeting as genuine.

¶¶68–70 · verify

01.03 · Alleged manipulation of records and accounts

The Supreme Court held the High Court’s discussion of alleged manipulations “was not relevant at all,” and drew an adverse inference from the failure of the party alleging manipulation to examine its own material witness.

¶¶46, 57 · verify

01.04 · The High Court’s findings against him

The Supreme Court set the High Court’s judgment aside and held that its findings against various individuals “were not warranted at all.” No adverse finding against Madhu Pandit Dasa stands on the record today.

¶58 · verify

01.05 · The criminal case

The Supreme Court quashed the FIR against the ISKCON Bangalore leadership and declined to proceed with contempt, observing that the dispute “ought not to have been brought to the Court” at all. No criminal proceeding arising from these allegations survives.

¶71 · verify

02

Who founded Akshaya Patra?

Questions are sometimes raised about who Akshaya Patra belongs to. The founding documents are public, and they answer it plainly. The Akshaya Patra Foundation — the world’s largest NGO-run school meal programme, which has served over five billion meals to schoolchildren across India — was constituted by ISKCON Bangalore in 2001 under the leadership of Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa. The five-billion-meals milestone was commemorated at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the presence of the President of India.

The President of India serving an Akshaya Patra meal to a schoolchild
The President of India unveiling the Akshaya Patra five billion meals milestone on stage

An independent charitable trust registered under the Indian Trusts Act, 1882 (Reg. No. 154).

The Trust Deed of October 16, 2001 names ISKCON Bangalore as the settlor, represented by its President, Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa — Founder and Chairman of the Foundation.

The legal dispute began in 2000 — before Akshaya Patra existed. A dispute cannot threaten what predates it.

The Foundation’s governance is independent of the temple case — and unaffected by it.

Over five billion meals served — the milestone was commemorated at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the presence of the President of India.

Akshaya Patra Foundation Trust Deed, October 16, 2001, first page naming ISKCON Bangalore as settlor
The trust deed, October 16, 2001 — ISKCON Bangalore named as settlor. Click to enlarge.

In summary

Akshaya Patra was founded from Bangalore, and the founding documents say so. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an independent charitable trust registered under the Indian Trusts Act, 1882 (Reg. No. 154). Its trust deed of October 16, 2001 names ISKCON Bangalore as settlor, represented by its President, Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa — the Foundation’s Founder-Chairman. The legal dispute began in 2000, before the Foundation existed, and its governance is unaffected by the case. Claims of ownership made by anyone else are contrary to these public documents.

Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa

“We are confident that the judgment rendered by the Supreme Court in favour of ISKCON Bangalore on May 16 is flawless and has no errors on the face of the records. Hence, we are confident that the review petition will be dismissed…”