From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Sep 20: In a major setback to Archbishop of Bangalore Most Rev Dr Bernard Moras, the High Court of Karnataka has upheld the order of the Bengaluru City Civil Court for reopening the St Paul the Hermit Church at Nagenahalli in RT Nagar, which had been Canonically shut down following the erection of the statue of Fr Chowrappa Selvaraj alias Chasara in the church premises, and has ordered that the Church should be opened by September 26.

The High Court has also that the Archbishop should appoint a priest to the Church by September 29.

However, the only concession or rather consolation to the Bangalore Archdiocese and Archbishop Moras was the High Court’s direction that the bust of Fr Chasara erected in defiance of the Canonical Warning issued by the Archbishop was to cover it in a nicely looking wooden case.

It may be recalled that Fr Chasara was accused in the murder of the then Rector of St Peter’s Pontifical Seminary at Malleswaram on April 1, 2013, midnight of Easter, as per the additional charge-sheet filed before the Principal City and Sessions Court. Along with Fr Chasara, the additional charge-sheet had named six other persons including three priests – Frs I Anthappa, A Thomas and Anbu John, and three others Ms Rita Rini, Raphael Raj and Anthony Prasad.

However, the 61-year-old Fr Chasara died in March and his supporters of the pro-Kannada movement had erected his bust within a month of the death in violation of the Canonical warning and threat of closure of the Church. Fr I Anthappa had already been granted bail by the Principal City and Sessions Court due to his advanced age of 86.

Incidentally, High Court had granted bail to all the remaining persons among the seven accused. The High Court had quashed the quashed the additional charge-sheet against recently.

In the first charge-sheet filed in 2014, five persons were accused in the murder of the Rector and three persons, including two priests Fr William Patrick and Fr Elias Daniel, and a lay person Carmel Peter were arrested. Two other persons listed as accused in the murder of the Rector and identified simply as Swamy and Francis are absconding.

Fr William Patrick was granted bail by the Supreme Court on July 24. Subsequently, the two other arrested persons accused of murdering Fr K J Thomas were granted bail by the High Court.