Money, politics and power behind the dispute activists claim
The church of South India has suspended the Bishop in Thoothukudi-Nazareth Diocese for assaulting the church's general secretary during a meeting of the Synod's Executive Council in February.
On 3 April 2013 Sun TV reported that moderator of the CSI, the Bishop in Kanyakumari Diocese G. Devakadasham, had assumed temporary oversight of the diocese following the suspension of Bishop J.A.D. Jebachandran for assaulting General Secretary M.M. Philip.
Spokesmen for the bishop and the executive council did not respond to requests for clarification but the anti-corruption lay group Youth4CSI reports the spat between the bishop and the Synod's Executive Council is politically and financially motivated.
The altercation began at the start of Synod Executive Council meeting held in Chennai on Feb 25, 2013. Bishop Jebachandran objected to the minutes of the Council's January meeting that discussed the affairs of his diocese.
"The General Secretary had obtained a complaint saying that the Bishop/Diocese are planning to withdraw the case from the Thoothukudi sub court which they had filed for the recovery of misappropriated funds amounting to Rs 3 crores from the former Lay Secretary, Mr D. Dorairaj," the minutes reported.
The Council went on to ask the diocese to prosecute the lawsuits for theft by insiders from diocesan coffers and to dismiss the chairman of the diocesan council.
After the general secretary declined to strike that portion of the minutes, Bishop Jebachandran allegedly rose from his chair, grabbed Mr. Philip by his collar, took away his microphone, and shoved him from the podium.
Uproar ensued, and a vote was taken by the council to suspend Bishop Jebachandran. Later in the meeting the Bishop in Madras Bishop V. Devasahayam and the Bishop in Madhya Kerala Thomas K. Oommen objected to the suspension saying the council did not have the authority to take such an action and that the matter must be referred to the House of Bishops. A formal notice suspension was subsequently served upon Bishop Jebachandran last week.
Youth4CSI reports the dispute "stems from a decision of the bishop to switch political loyalties to AIADMK [All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or All India Anna Dravidian Progress Federation] which won the last elections in [Tamil Nadu] state. The appointments made by Jebachandran in diocese-run education institutions replaced supporters of the erstwhile DMK [Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or Dravidian Progress Federation] administration with AIADMK ones close to S.T. Chellapandian, the AIADMK strongman in Thoothukudi who is also the Labour Minister in Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa’s cabinet. Sources say a prominent DMK supporter on the board of the CSI Trust Association was miffed with the bishop for his appointment changes and dragged the Synod into the vortex of Tamilnadu’s contentious Dravidian politics."
In 2007 a commission chaired by the Bishop concluded that the former diocesan Lay Secretary, D. Dorairaj, had misappropriated diocesan funds and instituted a legal action for restitution. However when the AIADMK came to power in 2011, Bishop Jebachandran backtracked on the lawsuit.
Jobs were also handed out to friends of the government. Youth4CSI stated these new appointments were made at "the cost of those who were close to [new] Lay Secretary D. Mohan who is also a director of the CSI Trust Association."
Bishop Jebachandran allregedly lost his temper with the CSI General Secretary M.M. Philip and accused him of "acting at the behest of Mohan to make life difficult for him. The direction in the Executive minutes that the bishop should not “under any circumstances” withdraw the cases against Dorairaj and others and that he should withdraw the appointment of the new Council Chairman are seen as being dictated by Mohan misusing his perch in the Synod office as a director of the CSITA, a body of which Philip is also the Hon. Secretary," the anticorruption group noted.
A source within the CSI leadership who asked not to be named as he was not speaking on behalf of the executive committee said they anticipated Bishop Jebachandran would file a civil appeal seeking to block the suspension.
source-Anglican Ink&Anglican TV
