KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has imposed a penalty of Rs 25,000 on a Perumbavoor native for filing a frivolous public interest litigation seeking to declare that the Code of Canon Law which confers the Pope with ownership over Church properties was unconstitutional.
According to the petitioner, the Pope, who resides in the Vatican, can have no say in the transaction of church properties in India. The court, while dismissing the petition filed by M S Anoop, directed him to pay the amount to the High Court Legal Services Committee in two weeks.
If the petitioner failed to pay the amount, revenue recovery proceedings would be initiated against him.
The court observed that the petitioner was not an aggrieved person belonging to the Church. The motive of the petitioner was extraneous and for cheap publicity.