HC stays elections of CSI

The Madras High Court today stayed the Church of South India (CSI) Coimbatore Diocese from conducting elections to the diocese from November 14 to 16.
The court gave the interim stay on a petition by E Premkumar, one of the permanent member of the CSI, Slater Nagar Pastorate, Perundurai, and Coimbatore Diocese, in view of a pending enquiry against the diocese by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) and ordered issue of notice returnable by four weeks.
Stating that CISTA is a public religious and charitable trust registered under the Indian Companies Act the petitioner said for the past four years he made several detailed complaints to various authorities with regard to illegalities and irregularities on the basis of which the Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs ordered probe by Serious Fraud Investigation Office.

Contending further that when the probe is pending by SFIO there should not be any election the petitioner submitted that he had already made a representation objecting the elections to the diocese and as there was no action he approached the High Court.