KOCHI: Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese Apostolic Administrator Mar Jacob Manathodath and auxiliary metropolitans have come with the allegations that the police have been trying to sabotage forgery case and maintaining that documents against Syro-Malabar Church Cardinal George Alencherry is not fake.
With this, the internal feud in the Archdiocese has worsened.
Manathod held a press conference in Kochi on Monday keeping by his the father of Adithya Valavi, a researcher with IIT Chennai and native of Konthuruthi, who was arrested on Sunday for allegedly forging documents.

Denying forgery, Mar Jacob Manathodath said the archdiocese will demand a judicial inquiry or CBI probe into the case.

Adithya Valavi was arrested for allegedly forging a document. He said he had retrieved it from a multi-national company’s server containing information about investments made by some bishops.

“We do not believe Adithya has forged any document. While working in a business establishment, he took screenshots of the documents found in the server. Later, he handed them over to the Church. An innocent and devout youth, Adithya was brutally tortured to admit to his involvement. He was forced to blame Fr Tony Kallokarran and Fr Paul Thelakkat,” Manathodath told media persons.

Manathodath and Fr Thelakkat, accused in the case, have approached the Kerala High Court to cancel the case against them.

Manathodath said discussion over the controversial document was held during the synod meet in January. “A decision was taken to carry out a fact-finding inquiry. There are names of bishops in the document retrieved by Adithya. But I am not aware of the financial deals made by them. This aspect also should be included in the probe,” he said.

Pastoral Council secretary Fr Kuriakose Mundadan alleged the accused persons in the controversial land scam are the brain behind the forgery case.

“The police are acting according to a script written by people with vested interests. Some people within the Church are behind the conspiracy. The police are targeting the priest who attempted to expose corruption in the land deal incident. Their plan was to arrest the priest when the Chief Minister was abroad,” he said.

According to him, attempts are being made to link the forgery case with the controversial church land deal. “Why would anyone attempt to defame Cardinal Alencherry when Audit and Income Tax Department’s reports pertaining to the deal exist? These two incidents are different,” he said.

Fr Sunny Kalapurrackal said fake evidence was created to apprehend Adithya. He added that the archdiocese has decided to organise a mass protest against the police highhandedness.