From The States

Indian bishop, priest get bail in high tuition fee case

A Protestant bishop, a Catholic priest and 10 other management members of seven Christian-run schools in a central Indian state have secured bail after spending close to three months in jail for allegedly charging excessive tuition fees. India’s top court granted bail to Father Abraham Thazhathedathu of the Jabalpur diocese, Bishop Ajay Umesh Kumar James […]

Indian Church leader allays Odisha violence fears

A leading Church official in the eastern Indian state of Odisha has dismissed rumors that there might be communal violence in the state’s Kandhamal district as Hindus gear up to celebrate Janmashtami, or the birth of the Hindu Lord Krishna, on Aug. 26. Kandhamal district witnessed the worst ever anti-Christian violence in the South Asian […]

Indian court indicts police for implicating Hindu follower of Christ

A Hindu follower of Christ in a northern Indian state has hailed a court ruling that indicted police for filing a false case against him under the sweeping anti-conversion law. “I lost my job and reputation because of the false case,” Abhishek Gupta, a resident of northern Uttar Pradesh, said. The court has ordered action […]

Indian court hailed for upholding education quota for poor

Christian leaders and lawyers have lauded India’s top court for upholding a legal provision that ensures the education of children from poor families in expensive private schools. “The supreme court’s order has kept intact the rights of the children from economically weaker sections for quality education,” said Abraham Mathai, a former vice-chairman of the minorities […]

Indian Christians slam harsher anti-conversion law

Church leaders and rights activists have deplored the passing of sweeping changes to the anti-conversion law in a northern Indian state where Christians complain of harassment. The Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which provides for stricter punishment, including life imprisonment for fraudulent or forced conversion, was passed by the […]

Indian Church extends help to rain-hit Himalayan states

The Indian Church has joined the government in relief work after a southwest monsoon became active over a large geographical area and torrential rains wreaked havoc across the South Asian nation. Down in the south, Kerala’s northern Wayanad district was hit by a massive landslide on July 31, killing nearly 407 people and the whereabouts […]

Tribal Christians put peace before cash in India’s Manipur

Indigenous Christian leaders have called on the government to restore peace instead of distributing cash to build new houses for victims of the sectarian strife in northeastern Manipur where Christians fight Hindus. The real problem is “restoring pace,” noted a Church leader from Manipur where a 15-month-long conflict over conferring tribal status on the majority […]

Wayanad: Church joins others to plan survivors’ rehabilitation

Various dioceses, religious congregations, and laity groups have formed a task force with Hindus and Muslims to implement short term and long-term rehabilitation plans for the landslide survivors in Kerala’s Wayanad district. The hilly district on July 30 witnessed one of the “worst ever landslides” in the southern Indian state that killed more than 400 […]

Eviction-facing Indian Catholics to fight Muslim charity’s claims

Goans oppose tourism project near 16th century basilica