Brahma Kumaris

[[File:Om Mandali President Om Radhe.tif|thumb|upright|left|The President of Om Mandali, Radhe Pokardas Rajwani (1916–1965) in about 1964]]

[[File:Om Mandali President Om Radhe.tif|thumb|upright|left|The President of Om Mandali, Radhe Pokardas Rajwani (1916–1965) in about 1964]]

Three years after the organization came into existence, it became clear that ''Om Mandali'' was giving special importance to the role of women and was not adhering to the caste system. The group had named a 22-year-old woman, Radhe Pokardas Rajwani (then known as "Om Radhe"), as its president, and her management committee was made up of eight other women.{{cite book | last1 = Pokardas | first1 = Om Radhe | title = Is this Justice? Being an account of the founding of Om Mandali and Om Nivas and their suppression under the Criminal Laws Amendment Act 1908 | year = 1939 | publisher=Om Mandali, Pharmacy Printing Press, Bunder Road Karachi | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=47qgtgAACAAJ&q=Is+this+justice+by+Om+Radhe}} People from any caste were allowed to attend meetings.{{cite book | last = Chander | first = B. K Jagdish | title = Adi Dev: The first man

Three years after the organization came into existence, it became clear that ''Om Mandali'' was emphasising the role of women and was not adhering to the caste system. The group had named a 22-year-old woman, Radhe Pokardas Rajwani (then known as "Om Radhe"), as its president, and her management committee was made up of eight other women.{{cite book | last1 = Pokardas | first1 = Om Radhe | title = Is this Justice? Being an account of the founding of Om Mandali and Om Nivas and their suppression under the Criminal Laws Amendment Act 1908 | year = 1939 | publisher=Om Mandali, Pharmacy Printing Press, Bunder Road Karachi | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=47qgtgAACAAJ&q=Is+this+justice+by+Om+Radhe}} People from any caste were allowed to attend meetings.{{cite book | last = Chander | first = B. K Jagdish | title = Adi Dev: The first man | url = https://archive.org/details/adidevfirstman00jagd | url-access = registration | year = 1981 | publisher = B.K. Raja Yoga Center}} The group also advocated that young women had the right to not marry and that married women had the right to choose [[celibacy]]. In tradition-bound patriarchal India, these personal life decisions were the exclusive right of men. A committee headed by influential male members of the Bhaibund community began to form in opposition and became known as the 'Anti-Om Mandali Committee'. On 21 June 1938, this group picketed the premises of ''Om Mandali'' and prevented members from entering the campus and caused considerable upheaval in the community. Women attending the discourses were verbally abused. There was an attempt to burn the premises down, and the police made several arrests. Many women and girls were subjected to [[domestic violence]].{{sfn|Hodgkinson|2002|p=30}}

| url = https://archive.org/details/adidevfirstman00jagd | url-access = registration | year = 1981 | publisher = B.K. Raja Yoga Center}} The group also advocated that young women had the right to not marry and that married women had the right to choose [[celibacy]]. In tradition-bound patriarchal India, these personal life decisions were the exclusive right of men. A committee headed by influential male members of the Bhaibund community began to form in opposition and became known as the 'Anti-Om Mandali Committee'. On 21 June 1938, this group picketed the premises of ''Om Mandali'' and prevented members from entering the campus and caused considerable upheaval in the community. Women attending the discourses were verbally abused. There was an attempt to burn the premises down, and the police made several arrests. Many women and girls were subjected to [[domestic violence]].{{sfn|Hodgkinson|2002|p=30}}

The picketing led to criminal proceedings against both groups. On 16 August 1938 the local District Magistrate ordered that ''Om Mandali'' be prevented from meeting. This ban was reversed on 21 November 1938 after an appeal to the [[Sindh High Court|Court of the Judicial Commissioner of Sindh]].{{sfn|Pokardas|1939|pp=126–135 (original numbering)}} In an unusual move, the judges directly criticised the district magistrate for trying to punish the victims for the disturbance caused by the perpetrators and for trying to apply the law according to their own personal bias.{{sfn|Pokardas|1939|p=130 (original numbering)}} Following these events, ''Om Mandali'' decided to leave Hyderabad and relocated their activities to [[Karachi]] in the latter half of 1938. Approximately three hundred members moved.{{sfn|Pokardas|1939|pp=126–135 (original numbering)}}

The picketing led to criminal proceedings against both groups. On 16 August 1938 the local District Magistrate ordered that ''Om Mandali'' be prevented from meeting. This ban was reversed on 21 November 1938 after an appeal to the [[Sindh High Court|Court of the Judicial Commissioner of Sindh]].{{sfn|Pokardas|1939|pp=126–135 (original numbering)}} In an unusual move, the judges directly criticised the district magistrate for trying to punish the victims for the disturbance caused by the perpetrators and for trying to apply the law according to their own personal bias.{{sfn|Pokardas|1939|p=130 (original numbering)}} Following these events, ''Om Mandali'' decided to leave Hyderabad and relocated their activities to [[Karachi]] in the latter half of 1938. Approximately three hundred members moved.{{sfn|Pokardas|1939|pp=126–135 (original numbering)}}