By Matters India Reporter
Jabalpur, Sept 17, 2022: Church of North India (CNI) Moderator Bishop P C Singh, accused of forgery and cheating among other charges, was on Sept 16 remanded in 14-day judicial custody in Jabalpur, the legal capital of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
The prelate was on Sept 12 arrested and produced before a special court and was remanded in four -day custody of the Economic Offence Wing (EOW) that is probing the charges against him.
The prelate was taken into custody from Nagpur airport in the neighbouring state of Maharashtra, western India, on his way back from a foreign tour believed to be in Germany.
The prelate, according to officials of EOW, a special wing of the state police to deal with the crimes related to economic offences, landed in New Delhi, and from there went Bengaluru, capital of the southern Indian state of Karnataka. He then came to Nagpur.
The Central Industrial Security Force personnel following an alert from the EOW and other federal agencies took him into custody from the airport and handed him over to the officials of the probe agency.
EOW’s Superintendent of Police Devendra Singh Rajput told media that Bishop Singh was remanded in 14-days judicial custody following his production before the special court after completion of his four-day custodial interrogation.
The official, however, did not disclose further details about the ongoing probe against Bishop Singh, who heads the CNI diocese of Jabalpur.
The EOW action against the prelate followed a raid at his the office and residence in Jabalpur town on September 8.
The EWO claimed to have recovered 16,514,000 rupees in liquid cash, 18,352 US dollars and 118 British pounds from his possession.
Besides the cash, officials also collected documents related to 17 properties, 48 bank accounts in the names of the diocese, Bishop Singh and his close family members, gold worth 8,072,000 rupees and registration details of eight vehicles including a two wheeler.
A Church official who did not want to be named defended the bishop saying the details of the properties, vehicles and other things seized belonged to the diocese, but was unable to explain the source of Indian and foreign currencies seized from the bishop.
The CNI was formed in 1970, uniting all the Protestant Churches working in northern India. It owns extensive landed properties across northern India inherited from the Anglican Church of the British era.
It is now part of the worldwide Anglican Communion and a member of the World Methodist Council.
The CNI has 27 dioceses. The Church people now are worried if the probe against Bishop Singh would cover other dioceses in the country.