Our Role / Case Acceptance Criteria

Case Acceptance Criteria: Justice Ministry Europe

Based on the Justice Ministry Europe (JME) Screening Framework and Appeal Criteria document, the case-handling pipeline follows a structured process for accepting referred cases, governed by specific criteria and preliminary screening by the Intake Officer.

1. When and How Cases Are Accepted by the Standing Committee

When a referral is submitted via the Intake Officer, it passes to the Standing Committee, which sits at the entry point of the JME case-handling pipeline. The Standing Committee evaluates the matter against Part 2 Admission Criteria.

  • Acceptance: If all admission criteria are met, the Standing Committee admits the matter and refers/delegates it to a Case Manager for formal registration and panel allocation.
  • Non-Acceptance / Refusal: If one or more criteria are not met, the Standing Committee exercises its Right of Refusal, returns the matter for supplementation, or refers it to a more appropriate forum.

Criteria for Accepting Referrals

To be admitted, a referred case must satisfy all eight of the following standards:

  1. Jurisdiction: The subject matter and both parties (complainant and respondent) fall within JME's territorial and subject-matter jurisdiction. The matter must not concern a decision of an office that has its own separate appeal procedure.
  2. Exhaustion of Local Remedies: The complainant has genuinely availed themselves of local or regional ISKCON justice mechanisms (e.g., local temple leadership or ISKCON Resolve mediation) before escalating to JME.
  3. Procedural Compliance: The complaint is submitted through the designated intake process and contains sufficient particulars (identities of parties, nature of complaint, relevant dates, prior steps taken).
  4. Prima Facie Merit: The complaint discloses a matter of substance that, if established, would warrant a remedial or disciplinary response under ISKCON laws, policies, and governance standards. Frivolous, vexatious, or unfounded complaints are excluded.
  5. Appropriate Forum: JME is confirmed as the correct vehicle, distinct from another ISKCON body (such as the GBC, local temple board, CPO, or ISKCON Resolve).
  6. No Abuse of Process / Election of Forum: The complaint is not deployed for harassment, retaliation, bad faith, or re-litigation. Where parallel or concurrent jurisdiction exists (including secular courts or other ISKCON bodies), the applicant must elect a single forum to prevent forum-shopping.
  7. Timeliness: The complaint is brought within a reasonable time from when the conduct was known or ought reasonably to have been known. The committee considers severity, impediments to earlier reporting, and potential prejudice to the respondent.
  8. GDPR Lawful Basis: Processing the personal data contained in the complaint can be conducted on a valid lawful basis under GDPR (Article 6). As a Data Controller, JME must confirm this basis before admitting the matter and initiating data processing. In most cases, the applicable basis will be legitimate interest or, where required, consent.

Necessity and Role of the Report/Assessment from the Intake Officer

The Intake Officer (provided by ISKCON Resolve Ombuds) serves as the required first point of contact for every complaint, appeal, or referral.

Necessity and Core Functions of the Intake Assessment

  • Initial Triage: Conducts a preliminary, non-binding assessment to evaluate whether the matter appears to fall within ISKCON's ecclesiastical jurisdiction, whether local remedies appear to be exhausted, and whether the filing is complete, clear, and timely.
  • Informational & Safety Role: Explains available fora, process steps, and confidentiality limits (including the option of civil or criminal action). The Intake Officer also identifies urgent risks and screens for conflicts of interest.
  • Logging and Redirection: Acknowledges receipt, logs the case, and redirects non-JME matters to appropriate fora.
  • Liaison & Oversight: Where the party chooses JME, the Intake Officer refers the matter to the Standing Committee, liaises with it going forward, and reports regularly to the Head of Intake Office - Europe.

Scope Limits

While the Intake Officer provides preliminary triage and assessment reports, they do not decide case admission, evaluate whether grounds of appeal are established, or consider the substantive merits of the case. Substantive decision-making on case admission rests strictly with the Standing Committee.

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