By Matters India Reporter
Sagar, Jan 7, 2022: The Madhya Pradesh High Court has stayed the forcible shifting of orphans from St. Francis Orphanage in Sagar, a town in the central Indian state.
“Shifting of 44 orphan children from St. Francis orphanage was stopped after the Jabalpur bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court passed a stay order,” says a statement issued January 7 by Father Thomas Philip, the spokesperson of the Sagar Syro-Malabar diocese.
The priest says the Child Welfare Committee’s Sagar district unit came to the orphanage at 1 pm on January 6 along with local Sub Divisional Magistrate and police administration. The officials stated that the orphanage’s registration of had expired in 2020.
A video circulated in social media platforms show the children vehemently opposing the government officials saying that the orphanage was their home and that they did not want to go anywhere else.
“Meanwhile the Jabalpur bench of High Court passed a stay order asking the Child Welfare Committee to stop the shifting and reply to the court within two weeks ‘time,” the press statement said. The court also noted that the children were being shifted in extreme cold and during the “hard times of Covid-19 pandemic.”
The orphanage is managed by “Sevadhan,” a charitable institution under the diocese, that also manages hostels for Tribal boys and girl, a shelter home for physically and mentally challenged children and a Hindi medium school upto tenth grade.
Father Philip termed the CWC act as a “pure expression of politically malicious” decision “taken under pressure of some local political leaders.
“The institution has already submitted all required documents to the concerned department for the renewal of registration but it is kept on hold stating no reason at all,” bemoans the diocesan spokesperson.
He points out that it is the government department’s work to renew the registration. It was “purposely” delayed so that the institution could be closed on that ground.
The priest also recalls an earlier accusation against the orphanage of serving beef and forced conversion of children. However, both the accusations were found false and baseless in an inquiry conducted by high officials of district police.
“One after the other false accusation are alleged against the institution through the media and other social networking apps,” Father Philip says and adds that the orphanage has used various ways to “selflessly serve” the poor and the marginalized in the Sagar city and nearby villages.