Russian court to decide on Hindu scripture Gita ban today

A Siberian court will on Wednesday pronounce its verdict in response to a petition moved by a group connected to the Christian Orthodox Church seeking a ban on sacred Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita.

The group wants the court to declare Bhagvad Gita an "extremist text".

New Delhi has already expressed its serious objections to the Christian Orthodox Church’s move to get Bhagvad Gita banned in Russia.

Ahead of the court hearing in Tomsk city, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna yesterday conveyed to Russian Ambassador Alexander Kadakin the country's concern over the "sensitive" issue, which has created an uproar in India.

Krishna told the Russian Ambassador that Moscow should provide all possible help to resolve the issue.

During the meeting, Kadakin assured Krishna that the Russian Government will do all it can within its powers.

"The External Affairs Minister conveyed the concerns of the Parliament of India and the people of India on the issue. The Russian side has been saying that it is a judicial process and that it will take all steps it can within its power (to resolve the issue)," the reports said.

Earlier, Russian Ombudsman Vladimir Lukin in his statement had declared that "Bhagavad Gita As It Is" written by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), is a globally respected book.

He also stated that it was unacceptable to seek a ban on it in Russia.

Separately, at an emergency meeting Hindus from India, Bangladesh, Mauritius, Nepal and other countries residing in Russia have also set up the Hindu Council of Russia to defend their interests.