In a recent development reported by this publication, a settlement agreement has been reached between two factions of the Hindu Mandir regarding its future operations. Per the agreement, Savita Dixit (Chander) resigned as Vice-Chairperson of the Board of Trustees, and Girish Kaimel resigned as Secretary of the Mandir’s executive committee.

In addition, per the agreement, Gopi Latpate continues to serve as the Chairperson of HSON, the Vice Chairperson of the Hindu Society of Nevada (HSON) will be Amaratbhai Patel and HSON’s Executive Committee is comprised as follows: President – Mohan Achanta, Vice President – Pratik Dudhia, Secretary – Rakesh Patel, and Treasurer – Deepa Varatkar.

Many of the long-term members and leaders of the community, who have been present since the beginning of the Mandir existence, anxiously seek answers from the management. There is a call for a meeting to seek answers to address issues governing the Mandir. The issues include but are not limited to the following: 

1. Whether the 2021 Bylaws are illegal. 
2. Whether the Society Trustees Can Banish Trustees by Simple Majority Vote. 
3. Whether the Society Trustees Must Explain Their Taking of $150,000 of Society Money. 
4. Whether the Lawsuit Settled by Society Trustees Must be Disclosed. 
5. Whether the Society Must Maintain Membership Rosters to Preserve Integrity. 
6. Whether the Hindu Community Deserves Better Accountability by the Society Trustees. 
7. Whether it is Time to Better Protect the Temple! 

As per community members, the petition to call for a special meeting will be submitted to the new Executive Committee to arrange a meeting to resolve the above issues.

About the above and additional concerns by the community, the Board of Trustees Chair, Gopi Latpate, continues to violate the bylaws and settlement agreement. Latpate, the signatory to the agreement, violated the settlement agreement by using Mandir’s official email newsletter@hindutemplelv.org without approval from the Executive Committee. As per the settlement agreement, in section 2, subsection (g), any updates made on the official HSON WhatsApp group, website, newsletter, and social media must be first approved by the Executive Committee before publication. 

Additionally, Chair Latpate violated meeting bylaws by not mailing the agenda and inviting all the Board Trustees to the recently held meeting of the Board. As per the bylaws Article 6.2, Notice of each meeting, specifying the date, time, place, and the agenda for the meeting, shall be in writing and shall be mailed to all Trustees by the Chairperson at least ten (10) calendar days prior to the date of the meeting.

These blatant violations of the bylaws are not the only infraction; in August, Latpate wrote a $152,248 check to pay the legal fees without getting a second signature on the check. In simple, understandable English language, the bylaws clearly say (section 10.9) that all checks or transfers over the amount of $5,000.00…must bear the signatures of the President and the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees. 

This publication has learned that only the five trustees, the quintuple squad, Gopi Latpate, Ranjit Jain, Savita Dixit, Ram Janga, and Ujwala Mahatme, were present at the 1^st quarter (March 2024) meeting and approved the decision to file a lawsuit. 

Per the minutes from the 2^nd quarter board meeting, Board Member Dr. Nutan Parikh raised his concern regarding the 1^st quarter meeting. “The March board meeting was in limbo because, at that time, there was no legal approval as to who was in charge,” said Parikh. Five trustees attended the March meeting and approved the decision to file a lawsuit. There are 24 Trustees, and none of the other Trustees were informed of the meeting. “A big decision to take legal action was approved that will probably bankrupt the temple,” commented Board Member Rao Gondy. Gondy continued, “We have not followed the bylaws, and we need to follow bylaws.”

The Quintuple Squad’s self-aggrandizement and decision to file a lawsuit and use donors’ money to pay for the legal fees without adequate consultation with or informing community members violates the principles of inclusivity that are fundamental to our Hindu faith. “There are profound ethical implications surrounding the decisions made by the Board of Trustees, which have compromised the integrity of our sacred space and the trust that community members place in their leaders, leading to discontent among many members who feel unheard and marginalized,” said one community member and agreed by many others at a social gathering.

“The recent decisions made by Mr. Latpate in his role, which involved gross violations of bylaws at our sacred place of worship, represent a serious misuse of his position,” said a regular temple devotee.  The Hindu community in Southern Nevada deserves leadership that embodies our values and works tirelessly for the betterment of all members. 

This publication and many community leaders publicly call on Mr. Latpate to step down immediately, and arguably does not merit a departing thank-you note. Besides Latpate, the community staunchly feels that the disruptive quintuple squad members should seriously consider their tenure on the Board. 

Once a formal request is submitted, the community is looking forward to the decision by the Executive Committee to call for a special meeting to hear them out.

Earlier article and readers’ comments (please scroll to the end) on the earlier article.