: Pulling up the counsel of the Church of South India (CSI) and its Coimbatore diocese for approaching the Madras High Court seeking to vacate an interim injunction staying the election to the diocese without proper documents, the court adjourned the plea to Tuesday with a clear instruction to submit appropriate documents to substantiate its contentions.
Last Friday, Justice N. Kirubakaran had granted an interim injunction restraining the CSI Coimbatore Diocese from conducting elections to the diocese scheduled from November 14 to 16, in view of a pending enquiry against the diocese by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO).
The judge passed the order on a plea moved by E. Prem Kumar who claimed to be a permanent member of the CSI, Slater Nagar Pastorate, Perundurai, Coimbatore Diocese.
On Monday, assailing the injunction, the CSI moved the court to vacate the interim order. When the plea came up for hearing, petitioner’s counsel alleged that despite the interim order passed by the court, election was being conducted to the diocese in All Souls Church, Coimbatore.
Denying the allegation, counsels appearing for the diocese submitted that election was not being conducted. “The members of the diocese have arrived since the interim order could not be communicated to them on time.”
To this, the judge queried about the other agendas of the meeting. Since counsels could not clarify to the satisfaction of the court, the judge refused to hear the case and adjourned it to Tuesday.
Justice Kirubakaran also orally directed the Coimbatore Police Commissioner to verify whether election was conducted at the alleged church and inform the court.
