Judge Upbraids Guru Brothers
Los Angeles Times (1886-Current File); May 23, 1975; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Los Angeles Times (1881 - 1986)   pg. A2

Judge Upbraids Guru Brothers
Tells Maharaj Ji To Settle Out Of Court

Judge Upbraids Guru Brothers NEW DELHI, India (AP) - An Indian judge scolded rival gurus Maharaj Ji and his oldest brother today and told them to settle their dispute over who is "perfect master" of their sect outside of court.

The gurus accepted the judge's suggestion although there was no immediate indication that they would sit down and discuss their competing claims to leadership of the Divine Light Mission, founded by their late father in 1961.

"Courts should not be utilized for washing this dirty linen," Judge Prithan Singh Safeer declared in a small courtroom jammed with more than 100 spectators.

Maharaj Ji, 17, and Bal Bhagwan Ji, 24, then both withdrew their suits against each other.

Both sides claimed victory, although it appeared that the outcome of the hour-long hearing was more favorable to Maharaj Ji, who came back to India last month in an attempt to regain control of the Indian chapter of the Divine Light Mission following his mother's renunciation of him. She accused him of becoming a playboy while in the United States in the last two years.