MADURAI: Expressing the need to create a statutory body to regulate the affairs of Christian institutions, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday directed the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu to file a report explaining their stand.
“While the charitable endowments of Hindus and Muslims are subject to statutory regulation, no such comprehensive regulation exists for such endowments for Christians,” Justice N Sathish Kumar said, while hearing a batch of petitions filed in connection with the appointment of correspondent to Scott Christian College in Kanniyakumari and also the mode of payment of monthly salaries of its employees.
The judge observed that the court has seen various instances of mismanagement of the church properties and its funds. In most of the cases, the people who are at the helm of affairs use the institutions’ funds for litigations filed to strengthen their positions, he added.
Though the courts appoint administrators from time to time temporarily in such cases, there must be a Statutory Board to regulate the affairs of the administration to alleviate this problem permanently and to make the institution more accountable, the judge opined, and suo motu impleaded the union and state government in the batch case to hear their response. The matter was posted to November 18.