IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM PRESENT : THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE V.RAMKUMAR THURSDAY, THE 18TH JUNE 2009 / 28TH JYAISHTA 1931 FAO.No. 27 of 2003() -------------------- AGAINST THE ORDER DATED 11/04/2003 IN IA.4980/2002 IN OS.31/2002 of I ADDL.DISTRICT COURT, ERNAKULAM .................... APPELLANTS/PETITIONERS/PLAINTIFFS:- 1. K.P.PAULOSE, S/O. PHILIPHOSE, AGED 70, KUNNATHUKUZHIYIL HOUSE, KARIMPANA P.O., KOOTHATTUKULAM, PALAKUZHA VILLAGE, MUVATTUPUZHA TALUK. 2. K.T.BABY, S/O. THOMAS, AGED 41, KORINGOLITHADATHIL HOUSE, KARIMPANA P.O., KOOTHATTUKULAM, PALAKUZHA VILLAGE, MUVATTUPUZHA TALUK. 3. SAJU JOHN, S/O. JOHN, AGED 34, KOTTAMCHIRA HOUSE, KARIMPANA P.O., KOOTHATTUKULAM, PALAKUZHA VILLAGE, MUVATTUPUZHA TALUK. 4. JOY T.V., S/O.VARKEY, AGED 41, THANNICHUVATTIL HOUSE, KARIMPANA P.O., KOOTHATTUKULAM, PALAKUZHA VILLAGE, MUVATTUPUZHA TALUK. 5. YOHANNAN, S/O. VARGHESE, AGED 65, VILLAMPUZHA PUTHENPURAYIL HOUSE, MARKET P.O., MUVATTUPUZHA TALUK, MUVATTUPUZHA. 6. BIJU JOHN, S/O. JOHN, AGED 28, PAPLIKANDATHIL HOUSE, S.MARADY P.O., MUVATTUPUZHA, MARADY VILLAGE, MUVATTUPUZHA TALUK. 7. BABU PAPPACHAN, S/O. PAPPACHAN, AGED 32, VALIYATHEKKUMTHADATHIL HOUSE, KARIMPANA P.O., KOOTHATTUKULAM, PALAKUZHA VILLAGE, MUVATTUPUZHA TALUK. F.A.O. No. 27/2003 : 2 : 8. P.T.SKARIAH, S/O. THOMAS, AGED 54, PUTHIYEDATHU HOUSE, MANNATHOOR P.O., THIRUMARADI VILLAGE, MUVATTUPUZHA TALUK. 9. BABU KURIAKOSE, S/O. KURIAKOSE, AGED 51, VATTAKKAVIL HOUSE, KARIMPANA P.O., KOOTHATTUKULAM, PALAKUZHA VILLAGE, MUVATTUPUZHA TALUK. 10. M.POULOSE, S/O. MATHAI, AGED 55, PULIYANIPUTHENPURAYIL HOUSE, KARIMPANA P.O., KOOTHATTUKULAM, PALAKUZHA VILLAGE, MUVATTUPUZHA TALUK. 11. P.T.VARKEY, S/O. THOMAS, AGED 54, POOVANTHADATHIL HOUSE, KARIMPANA P.O., KOOTHATTUKULAM, PALAKUZHA VILLAGE, MUVATTUPUZHA TALUK. 12. K.U.JOSEPH, S/O. ULAHANNAN, AGED 60, KOTTAMCHERAYIL HOUSE, PANDAPPILLY KARA, MEEMKUNNAM P.O., AARAKUZHA VILLAGE, MUVATTUPUZHA TALUK. 13. JINISH, S/O. PAULOSE, AGED 27, KUNNATHUKUZHIYIL HOUSE, KARIMPANA P.O., KOOTHATTUKULAM PALAKUZHA VILLAGE, MUVATTUPUZHA TALUK. 14. ELIAS, S/O. MARKOSE, AGED 35, PUTHIYEDATHU HOUSE, MANNATHOOR P.O., THIRUMARADI VILLAGE, MUVATTUPUZHA TALUK. 15. SKARIAH, S/O. VARGHESE, AGED 55, VILLAPUZHA PUTHENPURAYIL, KARIMPANA P.O., KOOTHATTUKULAM, PALAKUZHA VILLAGE, MUVATTUPUZHA TALUK. BY ADV. MR. S.SREEKUMAR RESPONDENTS/DEFENDANTS: 1. ST.MARY'S JACOBITE SYRIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH, MARYGIRI, AROOR, KARIMPANA P.O., KOOTHATTUKULAM, PALAKUZHA VILLAGE, MUVATTUPUZHA TALUK, REP. BY ITS TRUSTEE. F.A.O. No. 27/2003 : 3 : 2. BOBAN MANI, S/O. MANI, AGED 50, TRUSTEE, PALAKKATHADATHIL HOUSE, MEEMKUNNA P.O., ARAKUZHA VILLAGE, MUVATTUPUZHA TALUK. 3. SOYIS JACOB, S/O. JACOB, AGED 30, ASST. TRUSTEE, OLIKAL HOUSE, KARIMPANA P.O., PALAKUZHA VILLAGE, MUVATTUPUZHA TALUK, KOOTHATTUKULAM. 4. FR.ELIAS CHERUKATU, S/O. JACOB, AGED 35, VICAR, ST.MARY'S JACOBITE SYRIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH, MARYGIRI, AROOR, KARIMPANA P.O., KOOTHATTUKULAM, PALAKUZHA VILLAGE, MUVATTUPUZHA TALUK. ADV. MR. K.C.ELDHO FOR R3 MR. K. SURENDRA MOHAN FOR R4 MR. V.P.K.PANICKER FOR R1 THIS FIRST APPEAL FROM ORDERS HAVING BEEN FINALLY HEARD ON 18/06/2009, THE COURT ON THE SAME DAY PASSED THE FOLLOWING: V. RAMKUMAR , J. ========================== F.A.O. No. 27 of 2003 ========================== Dated this the 18th day of June, 2009. JUDGMENT In this appeal filed under Order 43 Rule 1(r) CPC., the plaintiffs in O.S No. 31 of 2002 on the file of the First Additional District Court, Ernakulam (Church Court), challenge the common order dated 11.04.2003 passed by that court dismissing the application (I.A. No. 4980 of 2002) filed by the appellants seeking a temporary injunction. The appellants/plaintiffs belong to the Catholicos faction of the Malankara church. As per the impugned common order, the court below also dismissed I.A. No. 838 of 2003 filed by defendants 1 to 3 belonging to the rival faction (Patriarch faction) against the alleged police excesses. 2. The aforesaid suit was for a declaration that the first defendant church namely St. Mary's Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, Marygiri, Aroor near Koothattukulam is governed by the 1934 Constitution and for a perpetual F.A.O. No. 27/2003 : 2 : injunction restraining the 4th defendant from convening the 'pothuyogam' in violation of the 1934 Constitution. It was in the said suit that the above I.A. No. 4980 of 2002 was filed by the plaintiffs belonging to the Catholicos faction. 3. When this appeal came up for hearing today, it was admitted by all sides that the suit itself is ripe for trial. Being a suit of the year 2002, it ought to have been disposed of long back. In a similar appeal filed as F.A.O. No. 306 of 2004 arising out of a connected suit filed as O.S. No. 34 of 2003 before the Church Court in respect of the very same church, on 13.09.2007, a learned Judge of this Court without going into the controversies on the merits of the matter directed the trial court to dispose of the suit itself untramelled by any of the observations made in the order impugned therein. I see no reason why the same course should not be adopted in this case also. Accordingly, this appeal is disposed of directing the trial court to dispose of the suit O.S. 31 of 2002 expeditiously untramelled by the F.A.O. No. 27/2003 : 3 : findings and observations in the impugned order. Considering the fact that O.S. Nos. 31 of 2002 and 34 of 2003 are to be jointly tried and are sufficiently old, the Church Court shall make every endeavour to dispose of the suits expeditiously and at any rate within 8 months of the date of receipt of a copy of this judgment. Dated this the 18th day of June, 2009. V. RAMKUMAR, JUDGE. rv F.A.O. No. 27/2003 : 4 : V. RAMKUMAR, J ------------------------------------ F.A.O No. 27 of 2003 ---------------------------------------- 18th day of June, 2009. JUDGMENT F.A.O. No. 27/2003 : 5 :