District court restrains Patriarch of Antioch from acting against Knanaya Metropolitan Archbishop, refuses to stay munsiff court’s order

Restraining the Patriarch of Antioch from taking any disciplinary action against the Metropolitan Archbishop Kuriakose Mar Severios for fulfilling his duties and obligations under the Knanaya Syrian Jacobites’ constitution, a district court in Kottayam has dismissed the interim applications seeking to stay the implementation of an order by a munsiff court in this regard.

In the order issued on March 4, Additional District Judge P. Mohanakrishnan stated that the operation and execution of the order passed by the trial court was not liable to be stayed as it would lead to the endorsement of an order passed by the Patriarch suspending the Metropolitan and it was likely to cause a stalemate situation regarding the administration and management of Knanaya Samudhayam by the Archbishop.

“It is also to be noted that no unbridled powers are available with the second defendant (Archbishop) in view of the impugned order passed by the trial court. The first defendant (Patriarch) is restrained only from taking any disciplinary action against the second defendant (Archbishop) for carrying out the duties and obligations provided in the Samudayam constitution,” read the order.

Holding that the implementation of the Patriarch’s Bull (order) is kept in abeyance till the disposal of the suit, the court also clarified that such an order was necessary for maintaining the status quo. “It is also to be noted that in the impugned order it is specifically clarified that the first defendant Patriarch is not prohibited from performing spiritual activities in accordance with Ext.A1, Samudhayam constitution,” it said.

In an abrupt move in May last year, the Patriarch stripped Archbishop Severios of his title as ‘Archbishop and Chief Metropolitan of the Knanaya Archdiocese in India,’ citing defiance of his orders as the reason. However, in response, the faction supporting the archbishop convened a meeting of the Knanaya Association — the archdiocese’s highest decision-making body — and decided not to approve the suspension. The development has paved the way for a series of litigations.