Gulf News

Ruling leaves Kerala officials in fresh bind

COURT GIVES OWNERSHIP OF CHURCH BUILDING TO ONE OF TWO RIVAL FACTIONS

- BY AKHEL MATHEW Correspond­ent

Kerala’s Left Democratic Front government hasn’t yet settled the contentiou­s issue of permitting girls and women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple, as directed by India’s Supreme Court, but it has another political hot potato on its hands.

The Communist Party of India Marxist-led LDF government is now grappling with the verdict from the apex court giving ownership of a church building in Piravom to one of the two squabbling factions of the Malankara Syrian Church in the state.

At Sabarimala, the court verdict permitted girls and women of menstruati­ng age to pray at the temple, which flies in the face of traditions at the Hindu shrine.

In the church case, the apex court ruled that the building of the St Mary’s Church at Piravom in Ernakulam district, which is currently controlled by the Jacobite Church, belongs to the rival Orthodox Church.

In both cases, the state government has not been able to implement the court order.

In fact, the apex court order in the church case came as far back as July 3, 2017, and 17 months down the line the state government has not been able to implement the order and give control of the church to the Orthodox faction.

On Monday, the Orthodox faction made an attempt to forcibly take control of the church, and the district administra­tion attempted to implement the long-standing court order with assistance from the police.

Protests

Several Jacobite supporters threatened to set themselves on fire, a few climbed to the top floors of the church and threatened to jump down, and police clashed with others in front of the church, even as the Orthodox faction sought to wrest control of the church. Officials had to beat a retreat.

The stalemate has triggered criticism from hardline Hindu organisati­ons, who say the Marxist government has been keen to implement the court order at Sabarimala while going soft on the implementa­tion of the court order in the Piravom church case.

The temple and church cases are a political minefield for the LDF government.

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