Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church (JSC) part of the Syrian Christian community of Kerala, traces their religious root to Saint Thomas, one of the disciples of Jesus Christ, who is believed to have come to the Kerala coast some 2000 years back. 

The existence of the Jacobite Church and her worship places are legally challenged due to 100 plus-year-old bitter court cases with the faction who got separated from JSC, now calling themselves as Indian Orthodox Church (IOC). To date, more than 60 churches is taken over by IOC, because of lopsided verdicts including from the Supreme Court of India. 

All these imbalanced verdicts have come up because there is no proper civil law under Articles 25 & 26 of the Indian Constitution, in Kerala for administrating Christian worship places.

There can be a solution by referendum in each of the disputed churches.

Kerala Law Reform Commission headed by retired Justice KT Thomas submitted a draft bill “The Kerala Protection of Right, Title and Interest of Parish Church Properties and Right of Worship of the Members of Malankara Church Bill-2020” to the State Government for resolving this 100+ years old Jacobite-Orthodox Church dispute by referendum. 

We appeal to the Kerala Government, to legislate the above-said draft bill at the earliest. 

We solicit your valuable support for this human rights cause.