Tensions over church row puts Kerala government in a tight spot

Tension is brewing at Kothamangalam in Ernakulam district in Kerala as believers, including women and children, of the Jacobite faction of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church are camping at St. Thomas Church, popularly known as 'Kothamangalam Cheriya Palli', to resist any move to take over the church by the Orthodox faction.

The fresh developments were in the wake of the Kerala High Court severely criticising the Kerala government for the inordinate delay in implementing the order to handover the control of the church to the Orthodox faction.

The church row has put the left-front government in Kerala in a tight spot as any move to forcefully take over the church might lead to tension. It would also invite the ire of the prominent Jacobite faction, that too on the eve of polls. Even as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan himself initiated talks between religious heads of the two factions, there was no change in the stand of both the factions.

The Kerala High court had even accused the Kerala government of taking a one-sided stand on the issue and even warned of deploying central forces to implement court order.

Though the state government earlier initiated a move to take over the church it had withdrawn citing the strong resistance from the Jacobite faction believers. Thereafter the government cited the Covid-19 scenario and delayed the implementation of the order.

Meanwhile, government sources said that the government was exploring legal options to further delay implementation of the take over order. The state government may cite that the district administration and police were preoccupied with the local body election arrangements. The High Court in scheduled to consider the case again on Tuesday.