On Thursday, 18 September, the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan (BAPS) organization announced that the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey have closed their investigation into BAPS and the construction of BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham.

Swami Brahmaviharidas, who leads the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi, welcomed this outcome. He said that the allegations made against BAPS were false, and that, with the investigation over, “faith in justice is restored.”

Swami Brahmaviharidas pointed out that some individuals with “vested interest” had made the accusations. He stressed that these claims had no substance, and that the decision by U.S. authorities vindicated them. He said: “Satyamev Jayate! We build a temple with love, faith, devotion and a spirit of volunteerism… Some people with little vested interest file false accusations regarding when the temple was built, craftsmanship,” Swami Brahmaviharidas said.

He added, “The US government carried out an investigation into the temple for 4 years and finally closed it, saying no charges were ever filed and no charges were ever true. This restores faith in justice,” indicating that after a long process there was no proof found of wrongdoing.

Earlier, BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha in the United States expressed its approval of this end to the probe.

They issued a statement saying: “The United States Government’s decision to end this investigation sends a clear and powerful message in support of what our organization has maintained from the outset: that BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham–a place of peace, service, and devotion–was built through the love, dedication, and volunteer service of thousands of devotees from all walks of life”, repeating the exact quote in their message of gratitude.

In the same official statement, BAPS also referred to its spiritual teachings. It said that throughout the ordeal, its faith had been tested—but its core values held firm. As their scriptures say, “Satyameva Jayate” or “truth will always prevail.” “This period has been challenging for our fellowship, but with the grace of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and the blessings of our spiritual leader, Mahant Swami Maharaj, we emerge with renewed strength and deepened faith–in God and in the enduring spirit of this nation,” the statement read.

Context: Allegations of Human Trafficking at the BAPS Temple

In May 2021, a group of Indian artisans living in the U.S. filed a lawsuit. They accused BAPS of human trafficking and forced labour. They claimed they were confined and paid as little as USD 1 per day while they worked on the Swaminarayan temple in Robbinsville, New Jersey. The lawsuit also said that labourers had been brought from India to work at other temples built by BAPS in areas like Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles, and were paid USD 450 a month.

At the time, BAPS denied all these claims. The organisation said that serving others through seva (service) is central to Bhakti—the devotional path they follow. They said volunteers from around the world had contributed freely. They added that these volunteers regularly interacted with visitors to the temple and stayed in touch with their families back home.

It should be recalled that in October 2023, The New York Times published a report saying: “Federal law enforcement agents raided the temple construction site in 2021 after workers accused the builders, a prominent Hindu sect with ties to Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and his ruling party, of forced labour, low wages and poor working conditions.”

The same article also claimed: “Their lawyers said workers who were Dalit, the lowest rung in India’s caste system, were specifically targeted. A federal criminal investigation is ongoing, as is a wage claim lawsuit,” according to the newspaper.

But even two years after what was described as a raid on the construction site in 2021, no formal charges were proven.

These charges of caste discrimination came at a time when, critics say, the narrative about caste in the U.S. was growing loud. Some universities added caste to their non-discrimination policies. In 2023, the California State Senate passed a bill (SB-403) that forbade caste-based discrimination, though it was later vetoed.

Similar concerns had arisen before. For example, in the 2019 CISCO caste discrimination case, the case was dismissed after no wrongdoing was found.

Also, in July 2023, more than a dozen artisans who had been part of the lawsuit against the BAPS temple in New Jersey withdrew their names. At that time, Rajasthan High Court Advocate Aaditya SB Soni, speaking for these artisans under the banners of Bharatiya Majdoor Sangh and Patthar Gadhai Sangh, said the artisans had been threatened. He described them as being caught up in what he called a “deep-rooted conspiracy to stall the construction of the grand Hindu Temple.”

The volunteer stone carving artisans declared they felt they were being made accomplices in someone else's agenda. But they broke away. They “decided to withdraw from the civil complaint filed in an American court against the Hindu temple. ‘These artisans have made strong claims that Swati Sawant and her companions impressed upon them and misled them, using false temptations, to make a complaint against the temple management,’ the press release read.