Brief history of the lama wars

Last year, one of Shamar’s general secretaries even applied to the Indian government for a passport for Thinley Thai Dorje. The fact that Dorje is Tibetan by birth and was subsequently smuggled into India was no deterrent. Shamars detractors claim this was done "to create unrest in the Tibetan community."

But the legal battle began way back in 1993. That year, the first writ petition was filed in the Gangtok High Court by Shamar’s disciples Dugo Bhutia and Karma Gompu, challenging the 17th Karmapa’s recognition by the Dalai Lama and others. On August 19, 1994, it was dismissed and withdrawn.

In 1996, another of his followers, Ngedon Tenzing, filed a case against the state of Sikkim in the Supreme Court, again challenging the recognition accorded to the 17th Karmapa. Within a month, it was withdrawn in limine on February 8, 1996. In 1997, a petition was filed in the PatnaHigh Court by one Narayan Singh of Munger, Bihar, under the name of the Dr Ambedkar Bodhi Kunj Foundation. Singh is allegedly a former monk. The petition charged that Tai Situ Rinpoche, Gyaltsab Rinpoche of Sikkim and His Holiness the Dalai Lama were indulging in anti-India activities and were Chinese agents. The court dismissed the case on March 31, 1997, stating that this was a matter to be decided by the administrative authorities.

Soon afterwards, Shri Narayan Singh filed a civil suit in the munsif court in Munger against all three with the same charges. Although the defendants have filed replies, the case is currently pending.

In 1998, Singh again filed a criminal complaint in the office of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in Delhi, making the same charges of sedition. The CMM requested a CBI enquiry into the matter. After the CBI submitted a report, the case was dismissed on January 13 last year. As a consequence of the sedition charges, the Indian government banned Tai Situ Rinpoche from enteringIndia in 1994. The government partially revoked the ban in July 1998, allowing him to visit areas other than the Northeast and Sikkim.

Immediately Dugo Bhutia again filed a writ petition in the Delhi High Court challenging the government’s order. It was dismissed in limine by the High Court on August 26, 1998. Bhutia then filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) inthe Supreme Court, which was also dismissed on November 16, 1998. The speedy dismissal of cases may have something to do with Tai Situ Rinpoche’s alleged relationship with Law Minister Ram Jethmalani his aides claim that the latter is an "adviser".

In 1998, Shamar Rinpoche filed a case in the court of the district judge, Sikkim, pleading that he be declared the sole trustee of the Karmapa Charitable Trust. The Trust was established in 1961 for administering all movable and immovable properties of the 16th Karmapa. These include a priceless collection of antiques brought from Tibet. Says Shamar, "I can get everything if I claim it legally."

Shamarcurrently resides in a monastery in Mehrauli given to the 16th Karmapa by the President of India in 1979. He owns a house in Rajpur, Dehradun and the palatial Galangka House in Kalimpong, apart from land in Nepal, where most of his followers reside. Interestingly, he holds Bhutanese citizenship, earlier had Nepalese citizenship and enjoys refugee status in India, though he says that the last has expired. He enjoys very cordial relations with Kathog Shingchong Tulku, an office-bearer of the Chinese Communist Party who was allegedly deported from Dehradun 20 years ago for indulging in anti-India activities. Tulku now resides in Chengdu, located in the Szechwan province of China, and is a key anti-Dalai Lama player. Says Shamar, "He heads a monastery there and is very good to me."