(March 20, 2010) The Supreme Court of India on March 19th 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”.