U'khand HC grants protection against arrest to Bishop of Agra

The Uttarakhand High Court today granted protection against arrest to the Bishop of Agra in a property dispute case.
Granting protection to the Bishop, the single bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia ordered that no coercive steps should be taken by police to arrest the bishop.
The Bishop of Agra, Prem Prakash Habil, had approached the Uttarakhand High Court to seek protection from police arrest.
An FIR was filed at Haldwani by one Vijay Kumar Robinson, a Parish Priest, alleging that six persons claiming to be the secretary and directors of Lucknow Diocesan Trust Association (LDTA) were fraudulently trying to usurp the properties of All Saint's College and Sherwood College at Nainital.

Vipul Sharma, Advocate for the Bishop explained, "Bishop of diocese of Agra is chairman of governing council of the educational institutes and other properties of Diocese of Agra."
Diocese of Agra under the Church of North India has various educational societies which run prestigious schools and colleges including St John College, Agra, Christ Church College, Kanpur, Sherwood College, Nainital and All Saints College, Nainital, he said.
"The Bishop has no concern with Lucknow Diocesan Trust Association (LDTA). The Bishop is the chairman of the educational societies of all the above said schools and institutions and is managing the same and there was no occasion for Bishop to have colluded with the accused person," the Bishop's counsel said.

The Bishop was under investigation in the matter as the police had lodged an FIR. To seek interim relief the Bishop approached the Uttarakhand High Court to avoid tussle with the police.