Voters in 13 Indian states will go to polling stations on Maundy Thursday in parliamentary elections after the High Court in Tamil Nadu state dismissed a petition from church officials to reschedule the date.

The federal Election Commission has scheduled polling in 97 constituencies of 13 states on April 18 when Christians observe Maundy Thursday this year, starting their Easter triduum leading to Good Friday and Easter. Church officials in Tamil Nadu, a southern state with 4.4 million Christians and more than any of the other 12 states, petitioned the state High Court to move polling to another day.

The High Court dismissed the petition but asked the state Election Commission to ensure that polling does not hinder Christians’ prayers.

“Since the polling is fixed on Maundy Thursday, it is expected that the Election Commission will take adequate steps to ensure that people are allowed to pray in churches situated adjacent to polling booths without any hindrance,” the court said in its March 22 verdict. The 13 states holding polls on Maundy Thursday are Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Puducherry.

Archbishop Antony Pappusamy of Madurai, president of the Tamil Nadu Bishops’ Council, had petitioned for rescheduling, arguing that hundreds of Catholic government servants with polling duties will miss prayers.

The Madras High Court has held that salaries and grants-in-aid to nuns and priests are liable to attract tax deducted at source.
“In our opinion, the provisions of Income-Tax law are dry, plain and simple, a political and a religious in character,” the court said in a recent order.

The bench, comprising Justices Vineet Kothari and C V Karthikeyan, gave the order on a writ appeal filed by the Union of India and the Income-Tax Department against the Society of Mary Immaculate and the State’s Directors of Treasuries and Accounts, School Education and Elementary Education.

The court also set aside, a previous 2016 ruling by a Single Judge of the Madras High Court on a writ petition by the Institute of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary against the Union of India and others, which had allowed the writ petitions, and had said TDS was not applicable on salaries and other benefits given to nuns and priests working in teaching institutions.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) has expressed “profound sorrow” at the death of Manohar Parrikar, the Chief Minister of Goa and former federal Minister for Defence. Parrikar, 63 died from pancreatic cancer on March 17.

“We can truly say that Goa and India have lost a great leader and the Christian community has lost a sincere and honest friend,” said a condolence statement from the CBCI. The bishops saluted the “courage and determination” of the leader who till his last breath battled against his disease. Parrikar’s recent public appearances “manifested his daunting fortitude,” it said.

In late January despite his advanced disease, he opened the Mandovi bridge and a few days later participated in the Goa Assembly Session.
“We were happy that the Goa Chief Minister looked in high spirits not scared of his physical sufferings and undeterred by the tubes inserted inside his nasal cavity,” the statement said.

Indian Church’s top communicators were urged to boldly present Church’s perspective on issues without running away from uncomfortable realities.

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) secretary general Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas and other experts suggested strategies for Church communicators to “become effective” at a March 11-15 national meeting.

Some 45 people, mostly regional directors of communication, from dioceses across India attended meeting organized by the CBCI office for Social Communications (CBCI-OSC) at Nav Sadhana Pastoral Centre in Varanasi.

Through examples, Bishop Mascarenhas illustrated how certain issues disappeared when communication on them have been “prompt and effective.”

He urged the Church communicators to speak up boldly and incisively on the issues, presenting the church’s perspective and being faithful to its teaching and values. He said Church’s silence only helps others to change the narrative. But the Church communicators must know “when to speak, and how much and what to say when they do,” the bishop said.

Rising unemployment and nationalism on religious lines are the two key issues bothering citizens ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, revealed a survey conducted by Lokniti-CSDS and the Azim Premji University.

“20% of those surveyed said unemployment was the biggest issue facing India, and 15% said the top government priority should be a remedy to joblessness,” said the survey titled “Politics and Society between Elections 2019.” The second and third issues cited were ‘development’ (15%) and ‘law, governance and corruption’ (13%).

60% of those interviewed for the survey said no minorities and migrants but influential people blocked progress. This sentiment was stronger among the youth. 61% of those below 35 years of age felt about elites blocking development.

51% of those above 35 years held the same view, said the report.

People also said it was easier to get admission in government schools than a water connection.

The report said though caste identities were prominent, these were over-shadowed by religious identities when it came to religious nationalism.

The survey found the Indian Army was the most trusted institution in the country with an effective trust of 88%, followed by courts (60%). Political parties were the least trusted as 55% people expressed their mistrust in them.

People in UP, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Assam sought punishment for those who don’t say ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ at public functions. But residents of Nagaland, J&K, Kerala, Mizoram, Tripura, Punjab and West Bengal disagreed.