New charges laid against Indian bishop: The Church of England Newspaper, June 4, 2010 p 7.

Bishop Dorai (center)

First published in The Church of England Newspaper.

Allegations of fraud and kickbacks in the letting of a school building contract have been laid against the Bishop in Coimbatore, Dr Manickam Dorai.

The new charges of malfeasance follow upon the April decision by the standing committee of the Church of South India, (CSI) to suspend Bishop Dorai pending the outcome of a criminal investigation into allegations of theft of diocesan funds. A warrant was also issued for his arrest on May 8 after he failed to appear before a magistrate to answer charges he threatened bodily harm to one of the priests in his diocese.

Bishop Dorai was granted bail on the menacing charge on May 10 and is currently under doctor’s care. However, the Express newspaper has reported that additional charges of theft by the bishop have been brought to the attention of church authorities.

A lay member of the diocese, Mr Prem Kumar has charged the bishop and six co-conspirators with milking the diocese out of almost £275,000. The Express alleges that on Dec 19, 2006 a contract for £385,000 was signed by the bishop to construct a building at the CSI’s College of Engineering at Ketti. Mr Kumar’s suspicions were raised as the date the contract was let according to the diocese was not until March 2007, and at a higher price.

The diocese reported paying £660,000 for the new building at the Engineering School, yet the December 2006 contract was on a fixed costs basis. Mr Kumar has charged the bishop and his associates with pocketing the difference between the public cost and the private cost — some £275,000. His complaint has been forwarded to the CSI’s executive committee for review.

Bishop Dorai could not be reached for comment about these latest allegations, but the acting Bishop in Coimbatore, the Rt Rev Paul Vasantha Kumar, has asked that members of the church withhold judgment until the investigative process had run its course.