While ISKCON spokesman, Mahamantra Das, denied reports of a revolt he admitted that there was ``global concern to improve the standards of the present guru system''.

ISKCON is organised as a federation of managerially and financially autonomous centres bound together under the overall supervision of a governing body comission (GBC).

Trouble has been brewing over the domination of the GBC by a large number of gurus, which dissidents say violates the ``final order,'' which clarified the will of ISKCON founder Swami Prabhupada before he passed away in 1977.

But what agitated the dissidents most was a recent exposure in the New York Times of immoral acts by several so-called gurus who had abused the absolute power they hold over disciples.

The dissidents are grouped under the ISKCON Reform Group (IRG) whichhas been demanding a scrapping of the guru system under which the financial affairs of the multi-billion dollar organisation is governed.

Said IRG leader Vineet Narain, ``ISKCON is a great movement which has inspired many young people to follow the path of spirituality and we want to prevent its ruin by a handful of bogus gurus''.

But according to today's Press note, the GBC has effectively dealt with the problem by expelling those who had ``deviated from the path of spiritual life''.

``Unfortunately not all members could maintain the highest personal standards of conduct and regulations,'' the Press note said.

Mahamantra Das said the ISKCON GBC continually solicits critical feedback from its members and deals with issues responsibly keeping in mind the teachings of its founder.

``Rather than disparage the efforts of the worldwide society through sensationalistic stories the dynamic capacity of the society for self-correction should be recognised and appreciated,'' he said in the Press note.

Butaccording to Narain, unless the guru system is done away with there can be little hope for ISKCON or for thousands of devotees who have sacrificed their careers and even their fortunes to join the movement.

Narain said Swami Prabhupada had categorically prohibited ISKCON sanyasins from becoming gurus and wanted them to serve solely as `ritwiks' or priests.

The IRG, he said, stood for Swami Prabhupada and for the ``Krishna consciousness,'' he advocated but was opposed to the illegally constituted guru system which had completely corrupted the society.