Court questions Church property law

(March 20, 2010) The Supreme Court of India on March 19^th asked Madhya Pradesh state to explain its move to enact a state law to manage Christian properties in the state. The court response comes in following a plea by Church spokesperson Father Anand Muttungal seeking to restrain the state establishing a state-controlled trust system to control Christian properties. The court asked the state to file their replies within four weeks. The Church petition claims a resolution for such a law was passed in the absence of commission’s chairman. “Therefore the commission members overstepped their jurisdiction. Similarly, the commission had also passed a resolution seeking property details of the Church including its schools, churches and cemeteries,” Father Muttungal said. The district collectors and education department issued notices to certain Church schools to provide the details. The Church refused and took the matter to the Madhya Pradesh High Court and then to higher court when the state court failed to stop the state moves. Lawyer Sister Mary Scaria, who was part of the panel of lawyers dealing with the case, said that the court served notices on the state and four others listed as respondents, seeking their replies on the matter. The notice was also sent to district educational officer of Jhabua district, state minority commission and the Christian member of the commission, who claimed to have pushed the idea, the sister said. Father Muttungal expressed that the Church was “happy with the initial outcome” and would “hope and pray that justice will be done to us”.