Setback for Cardinal Mar George Alencherry; SC rejects demand to quash land dealing case

NEW DELHI: A setback for Cardinal Mar George Alencherry in the case related to controversial land deals of Syro Malabar Sabha. The Supreme Court rejected his plea seeking to quash the case. The verdict was pronounced by a bench led by Justices Dinesh Maheswari and Bela M Trivedi.

Alencherry approached the Supreme Court demanding to quash the proceedings in the case which is in the Kakkanad Magistrate Court. Alencherry had also alleged in the apex court that the complainant approached the court and tried to obtain a favorable judgment in the case related to the land deal of the Syro-Malabar Sabha.

The state government took a stand in favor of the cardinal in the Supreme Court. The government’s investigation on a complaint against Alencherry was closed. It was closed after finding that the allegation in the complaint that government land was sold turned to be false. Nothing illegal was found during the investigation. The lawyers who appeared for the government had pointed in the Supreme Court that can investigate again if the court demands.

The plea was filed by Joshi Varghese pointing the irregularities in the land dealings of the Syro Malabar Sabha. There are 24 accused in the case including Alencherry. Middlemen and land buyers are on the accused list. The ED case is that a transaction of crores was done by understating the base price. The Income Tax Department had imposed a fine of Rs 6.5 crore on the church for tax evasion.