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No urgent hearing on petition against Cardinal Alencherry

Published on 28 April, 2012
No urgent hearing on petition against Cardinal Alencherry

The judicial first class magistrate court has turned down an application for an urgent hearing on the alleged role of Cardinal Alencherry and Union minister K V Thomas, ‘in trying to facilitate the release of Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen’. Petitioner T G Mohandas from Koovappadom had alleged criminal conspiracy by the cardinal and the minister.

The judge, S K Anil Kumar, held that the application to advance hearing on the case to record the statements of Alencherry and K V Thomas cannot be heard urgently as the court is already tied up with ascertaining evidence in other cases and as “there is no urgency” to hear the case. Observing that the case was filed this year and is posted for a hearing on April 28, the court decided not to allow the application for an early hearing.

In the petition, Mohandas alleged that the cardinal and the minister engaged in criminal conspiracy and tried to facilitate the release of the Italian marines. The petitioner alleged that the cardinal’s statement on February 21 to Italian media that he has urged local authorities in Kerala not to ‘precipitate action’ amounts criminal conspiracy as his efforts were to help the Italian marines.

“I immediately contacted the Catholic ministers to ask the Kerala government not to take precipitate action,” Alencherry was reported to have told Catholic news agency Fides in Rome.

“It seems that the opposition wants to exploit the situation and manipulate it for political motives by talking about ‘Western powers’ and ‘the drive for American domination’,” Alencherry was quoted by Fides.

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