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Christian body sends Rs 100-cr defamation notice against Bhopal archbishop
Madhya Pradesh chapter of a Christian socio-religious body said if they don’t apologise for levelling the allegations then the Mahasangh will go ahead with the Rs 100 crore defamation suit
The Madhya Pradesh chapter of a Christian socio-religious body has sent a legal notice for a defamation suit of Rs 100 crore against the archbishop and another official of the Bhopal archdiocese for allegedly damaging its reputation, highlighting a rift between the two groups of the community.
The legal notice has been sent by the Rashtriya Isai Mahasangh’s national coordinator Fr Anand Muttungal to archbishop Leo Cornelio and public relation officer Fr Maria Stephan. The Mahasangh is an organisation constituted to promote socio-political leadership in the community and raise its voice at various levels.
The body has said if they don’t apologise for levelling the allegations then the Mahasangh will go ahead with the Rs 100 crore defamation suit.
Lawyer Subhash Chandra Soni, who issued the notice on behalf of Fr Muttungal, said it was sent on January 2 and received the next day. The notice said Fr Stephan issued a release during a press conference held on the archbishop’s behalf on October 31, 2017, alleging large-scale corruption in the Mahasangh.
The body said the fabricated allegations have “inflicted sadness and agony among members and office-bearers of Mahasangh in Madhya Pradesh and several other states. It has damaged the reputation of Mahasangh amongst the members of the Christian community as well as in general public.”
Fr Muttungal told the Hindustan Times that the insinuation was cast upon the Mahasangh purposely to check the organisation’s growing popularity and its activities.
“We have received the notice and are looking into it. We will take a decision what steps are to be taken,” Fr Stephan said.
