Socialism missing from religion: SC

‘Musclemen taking over religious assets’

March 07, 2017 11:36 pm | Updated 11:36 pm IST - NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed concern at the threat of “musclemen” taking over charge of religious assets and properties.

“Everywhere with temple and church properties there is a problem ... there is a problem of musclemen taking over temple and church property,” Justice Arun Mishra remarked orally.

Oral observation

The judge made the oral observation while heading a Bench, also comprising Justice Amitava Roy.

He made the observation while hearing a dispute between two factions of a church in Kerala.

Justice Mishra said the aspect of socialism was missing from religion. “The respect for the poor in religion is lost with the properties going into the hands of musclemen,” Justice Mishra remarked orally.

Justice Mishra reminisced how Christianity gained respect by giving respect to the poor and the needy.

‘Money may be problem’

“It is a religion based on the concept of giving respect to the poor,” the judge said. He said money flowing in from “everywhere” and invested in religion might be “the problem or the only problem.”

At one point, the court asked the warring factions to reach a settlement as the decision was “purely with the church and not the court.”

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.