The Kerala High Court, on Monday, escalated its intervention in the long-standing dispute between the Orthodox and Jacobite church factions by summoning top state officials, including the Chief Secretary and the State Police Chief, over non-compliance with its orders. The court has scheduled the officials to appear for the framing of contempt charges due to their failure to enforce a directive concerning the possession of six churches.
Justice V G Arun has called for the personal appearance of 15 respondents, among them high-ranking law enforcement and administrative officials, at a hearing set for 10:15 AM on November 8. This decisive move follows the government’s inability to execute the High Court’s previous ruling that mandated the transfer of church control from the Jacobite to the Orthodox faction, an order backed by a 2017 Supreme Court judgment.
The dispute centers on the ownership and management of church properties, including 1,100 parishes as dictated by the 1934 Malankara Church constitution, which the Supreme Court affirmed should be governed by the Orthodox faction. Despite these clear judicial instructions, the Jacobite faction has reportedly obstructed their Orthodox counterparts from accessing the churches.
Fr George Patalattu, representing the Orthodox faction, initiated the petition that led to the latest court action. The state authorities, on their part, cited severe law and order challenges, with large groups of Jacobite followers physically barring entry to the contested churches, which prompted the government to pause its enforcement actions.
