Published Aug 14, 2026 | 3:26 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 14, 2026 | 3:26 PM
Kerala High Court. (Creative Commons)
Synopsis: A Division Bench of Justices A.K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Preetha A.K recorded the State government’s decision to initiate talks between the two factions under Chief Minister V.D Satheesan. The court also closed seven appeals involving six disputed churches. The Bench said mediation or conciliation could be used to restore peace, with executive action or legislation considered only as a last resort.
The Kerala High Court has said the State can mediate in the long-running Orthodox-Jacobite dispute when it causes law-and-order problems, while maintaining that governments should generally stay neutral in religious matters.
A Division Bench of Justices A.K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Preetha A.K recorded the State government’s decision to initiate talks between the two factions under Chief Minister V.D Satheesan.
The court also closed seven appeals involving six disputed churches.
The Bench said mediation or conciliation could be used to restore peace, with executive action or legislation considered only as a last resort.
It also clarified that the Supreme Court’s 2017 verdict on the Malankara churches does not automatically establish a faction’s right to possess individual church properties.
Such claims must be decided by a competent civil court, and police protection cannot be granted to enforce an unestablished claim to possession.
Also Read: Orthodox-Jacobite clash flares up in Ernakulam, priests tussle near holy madbaha
A physical altercation broke out between priests and members of the Malankara Orthodox and Jacobite Syrian Christian factions at St John’s Bethlehem Church in Piramadam, Muvattupuzha, on Sunday, 9 August.
The clash followed the entry of Orthodox clergy into the church to conduct prayers and religious services. The church is under the control of the Jacobite faction, which opposed their entry.
The Orthodox clergy cited an order issued by the Muvattupuzha Sub-Court permitting them to conduct worship services, the police said. A Jacobite priest and some believers at the church opposed the move, citing a Munsiff Court order in their favour.
The disagreement turned into a verbal confrontation and then pushing and shoving between priests from the two factions. The confrontation took place near the holy madbaha (sanctuary).
The police intervened but, with neither side willing to withdraw, closed the church to prevent further escalation.
Both factions have claimed that their priests sustained injuries in the confrontation. The police said cases would be registered after receiving complaints from the parties.
The Orthodox Church recognises the Catholicos of the East in India as its spiritual head, while the Jacobite Church recognises the Patriarch of Antioch as its supreme spiritual authority.
Sunday’s clash at Piramadam is the latest in a long-running dispute between the two factions over the administration and control of churches in Kerala.
The 1934 Malankara Church Constitution and several Supreme Court verdicts have favoured the Orthodox faction. In 2017, the Supreme Court upheld the 1934 Constitution and recognised the Orthodox administration.
The Jacobite faction has continued to oppose the transfer of churches, arguing that its followers should not be denied their places of worship. The dispute has resulted in repeated confrontations, protests and clashes at parishes across the State.
Six churches are currently involved in cases: St Mary’s Orthodox Church, Odakkali; St John’s Besphage Orthodox Syrian Church, Pulinthanam; St Thomas Orthodox Syrian Church, Mazhuvannoor; St Mary’s Church, Mangalam Dam; St Thomas Orthodox Syrian Church, Erikkinchira; and St Thomas Orthodox Syrian Church, Cherukunnam.
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Sreelakshmi Soman)
