Russian Court Says Krishna Holy Book Is Not "Extremist"

In Russia yesterday, the Leninsky District Court in the Siberian town of Tomsk dismissed a case brought by the state prosecutor that sought to ban as "extremist" literature a translation and commentary on the Bhagavad Gita. (See prior posting.)  The Hindu reports that the court found no grounds for recognising Bhagavad Gita As It Is, a sacred book of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, to be extremist.  The court said it is "one of the interpretations of the sacred Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita." Prosecutors had contended that the book created "social hatred" and promoted "violence against non-believers."