Court rejects Hare Krishna ban

A RUSSIAN court has rejected claims that a Hare Krishna religious text is “extremist”.

The Indian foreign ministry said it appreciated “this sensible resolution of a sensitive issue.”

Prosecutors in Tomsk, Siberia, argued Bhagavad Gita As It Is promotes “social discord” and hatred toward non-believers. The text is a combination of the Bhagavad Gita, one of Hinduism’s holiest scriptures, and commentary by AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder of the Hare Krishnas. Prosecutors wanted the book added to the Federal List of Extremist Materials, which includes Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and books from the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Scientology movement.