IDUKKI: Spirit in Jesus, the Thrissur-based evangelical group, headed by Tom Zachariah of Vellookkunnel family in Kanjirappally, has always been in the news for its two decades-long confrontation with the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC).
The KCBC had earlier issued a directive maintaining the sect was functioning against the Bible and the Christian faith. A case was slapped on Tom after a team of Revenue officers evicted encroachments in nearly 30 acres of land held by the sect at Pappathichola Hills in Chinnakanal village, around 25 km from Munnar town.
Tom, who reached Chinnakkanal in the early 1980’s had bought around eight acres of cardamom plantation at Shanmukhavilasam in Chinnakkanal village.
An ardent Christian believer, he was an active member of the Catholic Church, and had organised retreats and religious programmes in Suryanelli and Chinnakkanal areas.
However, the KCBC in June 2001 banned Tom from conducting retreats and other programmes in parishes and cautioned Catholics in the state from attending such revival meetings.
However, Tom launched his own sect ‘Spirit in Jesus’ in Suryanelli and extended its activities to other states in India and to the US and Gulf countries.