By Cynthia Koons
The temple said the State Supreme Court was biased against its Hindu leaders, a violation of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution protecting immigrants' legal rights. The leadership filed its case with federal court in Brooklyn, which also covers Queens, on Aug. 4.”They believe they have been treated unfairly throughout the process,” said Roman Storzer, attorney for the Hindu Temple Society, located at 45-57 Bowne St. in Flushing.The leadership of the Hindu Temple Society of North America, namely President Uma Mysorekar and her board of directors, has been involved in a lawsuit with a group of petitioners since the end of last year.Six devotees won their battle in State Supreme Court in January to set up democratic elections for the president and board of directors. Mysorekar was opposed to this move, on the grounds that no other Hindu temple holds elections.Since then, a referee has been involved in establishing the membership of the house of worship, which has never had a traditional list of members. Instead it has relied on its mailing list to communicate with the nearly 21,400 who have signed up to keep in touch with the temple.Now Mysorekar said the referee, Long Island-based lawyer Anthony Piacentini, has determined that all of the people on the mailing list will receive applications for membership.Mysorekar believes this will undermine the Hindu Temple Society by allowing non-Hindus to be members of the organization and potentially leaders as well if democratic elections are established.”Perhaps these members of other faiths can come in and be voting members,” Mysorekar said. “You have to look at the threat.”Her position as president is the reason the lawsuit began months ago. The petitioners were mostly older men, including an ordained Hindu priest in his 80s and a retired accountant in his 70s, who wanted to have a say in the selection of the temple officials who are accountable for the $22 million annual budget.Krishnan Chittur, the attorney for the petitioners, contended the leadership of the temple was not completely accountable for their investments because they would not surrender their financial documents to the state court.Mysorekar had said previously that she believed the petitioners were wary about the $6 million worth of construction at the temple in recent years.Chittur said he was appalled that the temple would challenge the findings of the state court and judge in federal court when the leadership was still not handing over its financial filings.”It is, I think, grossly irresponsible. They have made a whole lot of wild allegations,” Chittur said. “They don't have a leg to stand on.” But Mysorekar believes otherwise. She finds the new rules for defining membership, by mailing in the ballot, are unfair. Currently the president is selected by the board every two years, and the trustees are appointed by the existing board members from nominations that are welcome from anyone, even non-temple members.”It's horrible, horrible. Horrible is not even the word for it,” Mysorekar said of the new rules establishing membership. “It is just a destruction of the fundamentals of the Hindu faith.”Storzer said the New York religious corporations law has categories for different Christian faiths but chose to categorize the Hindu Temple Society of North America in an essentially miscellaneous grouping within the law.”It's like fitting a round circle into a square hole,” Storzer said. “There have been numerous procedural irregularities that have denied my clients due process during this affair.”Mysorekar said it is time her faith is recognized the same way Christian and Jewish religions are.”Hindu faith deserves as much respect as any other faith,” Mysorekar said.”We are a minority faith,” she said. “The state court system has not given us due regard, has not given us a fair hearing, has not given us fair treatment.”Reach reporter Cynthia Koons by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 141.
