By Matters India Reporter
Kochi: The High Court of Kerala on March 16 stayed a police move to book a case against Cardinal George Alencherry in the land deal case.
The division bench of Kerala’s top court also stayed all further actions by the police in the case. The court has sent notices to other parties in the case.
The latest court order has brought a major relief to the head of the Syro-Malabar Church, one of the three wings of Catholicism in India, says mathrubhumi.com, a Kerala news portal.
The division bench headed by the chief justice noted the petitioner, Shine Varghese of Cherthala, had filed the complaint to the police and the court on the same day. This was misuse of the judicial system, the court ruled.
The court set April 3 as the date to hear the case.
Varghese had complained that the cardinal, two priests and a lay man sold some plots of Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese causing a huge loss to the Church. The cardinal is also the archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly.
Earlier on March 6, the single bench of the court directed the police to book a case against the cardinal and others based on Varghese’s complaint.
Meanwhile bishops of Syro-Malabar Church have called for observing March 23 as a day of fasting and prayer to bring unity in the Church that traces its origin to Saint Thomas the Apostle.
Some dioceses observed prayer and fasting on March 16.
The permanent synod of the Church gave the calls at its meeting held on March 14, said a press release released in Kochi.
The synod wants all parishes and religious communities to hold at least an hour of adoration of the Holy Eucharist on the day. The synod also said that it would intensify efforts to solve the problems arising from the land deals.