India’s top court has ended a British-era practice of exempting Catholic priests, brothers, and nuns working in government-funded education institutions from paying taxes on their salaries. The Nov. 7 order of the three-judge bench of Chief Justice D. Y. Chandrachud, Justices J B Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra dismissed 93 appeals against a 2014 order of the Income Tax Department that asked them to pay taxes. The practice was introduced in 1944 during the British colonial era as part of an effort to promote education across the country. The Income Tax Department, which reports to the federal government, directed state governments in 2014 to deduct tax at source before paying salaries to priests, brothers, and nuns. The Church challenged the order in high courts of the southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The state courts upheld the tax department’s order, and appeals were filed before the Supreme Court. The counsels for the Church personnel argued that religious priests and nuns take a vow of poverty, and their salaries are transferred to their respective congregations’ accounts. Unlike other citizens, they do not individually own anything. The country’s top court, in an interim order, temporarily relieved Church personnel. However, in its final verdict, the court wondered how religious people’s vows of poverty or not owning personal property affected the taxability of their income. It asked the government to deduct tax at the source of paying salaries. The Supreme Court also stressed the need for a uniform application of law and held that any person employed and receiving a salary would be subject to taxation.

An Indian church leader has hailed the one-year extension gi-ven to the Justice K G Balakri-shnan commission to study whether socially poor Christians and Muslims are eligible for the nation’s affirmative action policy. “We welcome the extension gi-ven to the panel as it was unable to complete its work within the stipulated time,” said Father Antony Thumma, secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) Office for Ecu-menism. Prime Minister Naren-dra Modi’s federal government appointed the commission in 2022 to study and recomm-end whether to extend the bene-fits of the affirmative action policy to Christians and Muslims who come from Dalit communi-ties that were once considered untouchable. The benefits of the policy include seats in educational institutions, government jobs, and electoral politics. However, these concessions are currently limited to Dalits who belong to Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddh-ism. Balakrishnan, a former chief justice of India who headed the three-member panel, was given two years to submit the report. “The panel started its work late as it did not get an office, staff, and other amenities,” said Thu-mma. The priest has been actively involved in the struggles of Dalit Christians to gain benefits from the affirmative action policy. Thumma and a 15-member ecu-menical delegation met the com-mission on Oct. 12 in the national capital, New Delhi, to advocate for the cause of Dalit Christians, who make up more than 50% of India’s 25 million Christians.

An India-based voluntary agency has conferred its Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice on the late Indian business leader Ratan Tata for ‘his role beyond business’ and 11 others. “Ratan Tata has left a lasting legacy of service and social responsibility that conti-nues to inspire and uplift commu-nities,” said Abraham Mathai, founder-chairman of Harmony Foundation.
The Mumbai-based non-gov-ernmental organization instituted the annual award in memory of Saint Mother Teresa in 2005.The posthumous award to Tata was received by Siddharth Sharma, CEO of Tata Trusts, on Nov. 10 in Mumbai at a function. Tata, former chairman of the Tata Group, died on Oct. 9 in Mum-bai, aged 86. He is credited with putting the Indian conglomerate on the global map. Under his leadership, the group’s revenue rose from US$4 billion to US$100 billion between 1991 and 2012. Tata is known as an iconic business leader and a well-known philanthropist. Tata is also known for his social commitments and philanthropy. Through Tata Trusts, he impacted countless li-ves, fostering education, health-care, and social welfare initiatives across India, Mathai said. Polish activists Lena Grochowska and W³adys³aw Grochowski jointly won the award for their humani-tarian efforts to empower Ukrai-nian refugees in Poland. Their organization – Lena Grochowska Foundation – received the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ Nansen Refugee Award last year.

Church leaders have expressed concern over a southern Indian court’s suggestion to bring Church properties under state control like in the case of Hindus and Muslims following graft allegations. Churches have vast properties and their funds “are drained to fuel a power struggle,” noted the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court in a recent ruling. The court on Oct. 23 served notices on the federal and the provincial Tamil Nadu governments, seeking their opinion on bringing Church properties under a statutory board like in the case of Hindus and Muslims. “We are aware of the court order,” said Father Robinson Rodrigues, spokesperson of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI). “Our legal department is conducting a study on its implications,” Father Rodrigues told. The priest, however, refused to divulge details, saying “the matter is subjudice.” Like in the case of Hindu and Muslim charitable endowments, Christian institutions lack a comprehensive statutory body, the court observed. “Unlike the properties of the Hindu endowment or the Muslim Waqf [charity] Board, Church properties are purchased and not donated,” said Father A Santhanam, a Jesuit priest practicing law at the Madurai court. “Therefore, the findings of the court are not entirely correct,” Santhanam told.

Bishop Marshall Kerketta of Ranchi, the moderator of Gossner Evangelical Lutheran (GEL) Church said that he has rejected the appeal from Anosh Ekka of Jharkhand Party to use the name of the Church for political purposes. Ekka, a tribal Oraon Christian and former minister in the provincial government, recently wrote to letter to Bp Kerketta, reque-sting him to support his party in the upcoming state elections to be held on Nov. 13-20.
The results of the election in 81 state constituencies are to be announced on Nov. 23. In a letter to Ekka, obtained by UCA News, Bishop Kerketta said the request was “not in accordance with the Constitution of the Church and its religious conduct.” The prelate also said that “it is a matter of great surprise that an experienced politician like you, an active and knowledgeable member of the Church has written the letter.” As per the Church rules, the Church cannot endorse any political party in the election, Kerketta said, adding that no one should use the Church’s name in the election campaign. Founded on Nov. 2, 1845, the GEL is a major Protestant Church in India with hundreds of thousands of members. The move from Ekka, the national president of his party and a member of the state legislature from 2005-2018, has triggered uproar in the state. Presently the state is run by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) party led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren. “I am not surprised by the favour sought by the political parties during the election as it is a common practice. But the Church and its intuitions are not politically affiliated entities so they cannot support any political party as per the Indian Constitution,” Ratan Tirkey, a former mem-ber of the state’s tribal advisory committee, told on Nov 8. Tirkey, the tribal Christian leader said that “any Christian members be it bishops, priests, nuns and laity are Indian citizens first and they exercise the voting right individually, all are free to vote any candidates according to their choice.” Mukti Prakash Tirkey, editor of New Delhi-based Hindi-language weekly Dalit Adivasi Duniya said that “not only the church but religious groups such as Hindus, Muslims and Sikh should refrain from supporting any political parties so that Indian constitution and secularism are upheld”.