The Kerala High Court has orally observed that the state government was taking the court for a ride by not implementing its directive issued a year ago to take over the St Thomas church at Kothamangalam and all its movable properties and hand it over to the vicar of the Orthodox faction. The observation, came on Tuesday, while the court was hearing a contempt of court petition filed against the government and the Ernakulum District Collector. S Suhas.
Justice PB Suresh Kumar also observed that the Collector was unfit to hold the office if couldn’t comply with the court's directive and that its order would be implemented using the Central Force. The Court reminded that the State Attorney that it had waited for a year to implement the directive.
The HC in December 2019 had directed the state government to take over the St Thomas Church. The court's directive came on a Rampan's plea seeking implementation of Supreme Court verdict in 2017 which had ordered that more than 1,000 parishes and churches of the Malankara Church should be handed over to the Orthodox faction. After this judgment was passed, the Kerala policedid forcefully enter the historic St. Mary's Church in Piravom in Ernakulam and allow the Orthodox faction in.