CSI moderator suspended: The Church of England Newspaper, July 21, 2011.

Bishop S Vasanthakumar

First printed in The Church of England Newspaper.

A civil court in Madras has suspended Bishop S. Vasanthakumar from exercising the office of moderator of the Church of South India (CSI).

On June 28, Judge Thiru Chandrasekaran suspending the powers of all “office-bearers” of the church elected at the January 17, 2010 general synod, while the City Civil Court in Chennai reviews the legality of the elections.  The court heard an emergency motion from the CSI on July 6 seeking to vacate the order, but Judge Chandrasekaran declined to modify the injunction and has set the matter down for hearing on July 15.

On Jan 17, 2010 the 32^nd session of the CSI general synod met in Courtallam in Tamil Nadu and elected a moderator, deputy moderator, general secretary and treasurer.  Before the election was held, however, a court in Karnataka issued an injunction disqualifying Bishop Vasanthakumar from attending the meeting and standing for election.

However, a judge in Madras issued a second order permitting Bishop Vasanthakumar to attend.  The synod Reference Committee agreed to allow him to attend the meeting, but withheld his right to vote.  The bishop contested the election for moderator and was subsequently elected.

Immediately after the election, synod member Albert Jeyaraj brought suit asking the election be voided as it did not conform to the CSI’s constitution.  Mr. Jeyaraj, a lay member of synod from the Diocese of Madras, stated the election was improper as votes for proxy were allowed—though forbidden by the CSI constitution.  He also alleged that those exercising the proxy votes, allegedly on behalf of Bishop Vasanthakumar, were amongst those facing criminal indictment for defrauding the Episcopal Relief and Development Fund of aid money sent to India in the wake of the Indian Ocean Tsunami.

On Feb 25, 2010 the court granted an injunction suspending the election, but the CSI succeeded in overturning the first order.  The second injunction, however, makes voidable all of the CSI senior management’s civil actions.

The church anti-corruption campaign group, the CCC welcomed the decision, noting the “ruling has huge negative implications for the CSI and puts into jeopardy several major policy and administrative decisions including the recent appointment of some bishops.”