Police clean chit to Cardinal Alencherry in land deal

The police team probing the alleged irregularities in the controversial land deal by the Syro-Malabar Church has submitted a report before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, Ernakulam, saying that there is nothing that points to conspiracy or undue gain by Cardinal Mar George Alencherry in the episode.

The team reached the conclusion that the church decided to sell land at six places, including at Ernakulam, in order to repay a ₹58-crore loan that had been taken to start a medical college at Mattoor. The decision was taken after due consultations with the stakeholders concerned, including the church’s finance council.

There was no move to undervalue the said lands. The controversy arose after a section within the church, who were mainly opposed to the worship pattern from outside Ernakulam (the Cardinal hails from Changanassery) and the mode of spending the revenue from church-run hospitals, raked it up, it says in the report submitted in November.

Under this circumstance, the allegation of criminal conspiracy does not hold good and the case ought to be closed, by considering the case as ‘mistake of fact,’ the police said.