In a resounding victory for the trustees of the Hindu Temple Society in Queens, New York, all the 11 candidates representing the incumbent Temple trustees won election to the board.
The society manages the Ganesh Temple in Flushing, the first and largest temple in the US.
The election was held in January as per the orders of the court after a lawsuit by a group of people seeking democratic elections.
Justice Joseph Golia of the New York Supreme Court announced the results at a hearing in Queens, NY.
There were 208 candidates and more than 8000 voters.
The highest number of votes went to Dr Uma Mysorekar, current president of the Hindu Temple Society of North America, with 2,759 votes. All of the other current board candidates also received over 2,000 votes.
Those who initiated the lawsuit failed to gain even a single seat on the board, polling hundreds of votes less than the current trustees.
Dr Mysorekar stated, "This is a vindication of what we have said all along: the board members have been excellent stewards of the temple. Although the courts have unconstitutionally forced us to conduct this election at the insurgents' behest, we are still happy that devotees have given us their confidence and trust."
Robert Greene, a counsel to The Becket Fund, which supported the temple in the lawsuit, said, "We are very happy that the devotees have resoundingly demonstrated their commitment to the First Amendment and freedom of religion. We will continue to fight to have the New York State Courts recognise the temple's right to organise and manage itself without state interference."
In an earlier interview before the results came, Krishnan Chittur, the attorney who filed the cases against the present trustee board headed by Mysorekar, said the election itself was a victory for their group. "We are happy that an election is being held. We will accept the verdict of the members, whatever it may be. We were fighting for transparency and accountability in the temple affairs," he said.
Six people had filed a case against the trustees in 2001 demanding elections. Of these, only three contested the election.
New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer also filed a brief in the court supporting the trustee board.
