Priests and followers of Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church entered the Kandanad St Marys Church near here on Sunday and offered holy mass, two years after the Supreme Court ruled in their favour on a dispute with rival Jacobite faction over control of churches.
Heavy police security was in place in the premises of the church when the Orthodox faction entered it amid protest by rival group members.
We are grateful to the authorities for helping in implementing the Supreme Court, senior Orthodox Church priest Mathews Mar Severios said after entering the church for the first time in about 45 years.
The 2017 apex court order on the dispute between the two factions on the right to conduct administration and prayers in churches was implemented after it blasted the Kerala government recently for not implementing the verdict.
On July 2, a bench comprising justices Arun Mishra and M R Shah, hearing a matter related to implementation of the apex court order on giving control of 1,100 parishes and their churches under the Malankara Church to the Orthodox faction, had warned it would summon the Kerala chief secretary for "making a mockery of the justice delivery system".
"Tell your chief secretary that if he intends to go against the Supreme Court's order, we will call everyone here. Is Kerala above rule of law? You are making a mockery of the justice delivery system," an irked bench had told the counsel appearing for the state.
Amid tight security, the Orthodox church priests and followers entered the St Marys Cathedral on Sunday.
The protesting Jacobite faction alleged its followers were even not allowed to enter the cemetry of the church.
Tight security was provided to the Orthodox faction priests and followers when they left the church after prayers.
The cathedral had been closed for quite sometime by the Ernakulam district administration following the stand-off between the two factions.
The Supreme Court had held that 1,100 parishes and their churches under the Malankara Church should be controlled by the Orthodox faction as per the 1934 Malankara Church guidelines.
The apex court had later criticised the Kerala High Court for its order allowing the Jacobite faction to conduct services at the Kandanad church on alternate weeks contrary to its verdict.
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