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[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

(This is an e-newsletter brought to you by the National Council of Churches
in India. It is based on information gathered from various newspapers and
websites between February 11-28, 2005)

Compiled by

Amelia Andrews
Associate Executive Secretary, Communication
National Council of Churches in India
16, Pandit Pant Marg,
New Delhi-110001
Ph: +91-11-55428662

**
Baba Amte has been honored with The 4th Paulos Mar Gregorios Award For
Creative Compassion. The Vice President, Shri Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
presented the 4th Paulos Mar Gregorios Award ­ 2005 for Creative Compassion
to the noted Gandhian and internationally acclaimed social worker Dr. Baba
Amte at a function in Vigyan Bhawan on February 27, 2005. The Award was
received by Baba Amte?s son, Dr. Vikas Amte as Baba Amte himself could not
come to Delhi for health reasons. The Award has been instituted by the
Sophia Society of the Indian Orthodox Church.

In the key-note address, the Member of Parliament and former Governor of
Maharashtra, Dr. P.C. Alexander provided a historical background of the
Indian Orthodox Church and the mission of Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios. He
described Dr. Paulos as one of the greatest philosophers of the 20th Century
who was an authentic voice of the 2000 year-old Indian Orthodox Church. He
said that Dr. Paulos took to the world the message of compassion and love
which has flourished on the Indian soil. The Arch Bishop of Bombay, His
Grace Geevarghese Mr. Coorilos represented His Holiness Baselios Marthoma
Mathews II, the supreme head of the Indian Orthodox Church at the Award
ceremony. The Arch Bishop of Delhi, His Grace Job Mar Philoxenos, and Rev.
Dr. K.M. George were the other speakers at the function. (Press Information
Bureau, Government of India, February 27, 2005).
**
Dalits of Christian Origin: In a major decision the Supreme Court on Friday,
the February 11, 2005 , decided to consider afresh a crucial constitutional
issue regarding reservation. A Bench of Chief Justice R C Lahoti and Justice
G P Mathur which had in October 2004 sought Attorney General Milon
Banerjee?s response to a petition filed by the Centre for Public Interest
Litigation (CPIL) CPIL?s counsel Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan had
sought a direction that Dalits converted to Christianity should be entitled
to reservation for member of scheduled castes across the country. Bhushan
said that reservation was available to the Dalits while being a follower of
Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism and there was no reason why Dalit Christians
be not given the similar benefit. Attorney General Banerjee termed the issue
as a legislative policy matter in which the courts should keep itself out

Banerjee recalled a NDA government?s decision 2002 rejected the request for
inclusion of Dalit Christians within the category of Scheduled Caste. Even
the apex Court had also ruled that the list of entries in the SC and ST
categories under the Presidential Order was final and the courts could not
?add or subtract?. As the Bench agreed to go through the apex court?s
judgments on the issue, Bhushan argued that those rulings were given on the
basis of scanty material. He claimed that the petitioners have gathered
?overwhelming? material to support its claim for reservation to Dalit
Christians.
Bhushan referred to a recent judgment which held that even if a tribal
converted to Christianity, he or she could still avail of the reservation
benefits as his/her status as ST remained unchanged, Bhushan pleaded that
the same law laid down should be applicable to Dalits after their conversion
to Christianity. (Times News Network , February 11, 2005) (The Hindu,
February 12, 2005)
**
The National Commission for Minority Education Institutions has asked
central universities to draw up a time table to grant affiliation to
minority educational institutions well before the forthcoming academic
session. Vice Chancellors of Central universities of Delhi, Pondicherry,
North-Eastern Hill University, Assam, Nagaland and Mizoram assured the
Commission that all efforts would be made to ensure that request for
affiliation from minority educational institutions would be processed well
in time so that the applicant institutions could benefit from the National
Commission or Minority Educational Institutions Act. The meeting was
attended by B S Ramuwalia and Valson Thampu, members of the Commission as
well as Chairman of UGC, president of the Medical Council of India and the
Vice President of the National Council of Teacher Education under the
chairmanship of Justice M S A Siddiqui. (www.newkerala.com)
**
Tarlochan Singh, the Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities, on
February 15, 2005 remarked on the fact that the Census data showed no
variation in the population of Christians that suggested mass conversions.
He further said that the leaders of the community should visit the Northeast
where complaints of the mass conversions were prevalent. (The Hindu ,
16.02.05)
**
The Malankara Catholic Church was elevated to the status of a Major
Archiepiscopal Church and its head Archbishop Cyril Mar Baselius, as Major
Archbishop by a decree of Pope John Paul II. (The Hindu, February 11, 2005)
**
Escalating violence against Indian Christians The Christian groups are in an
upheaval due to the killing of two pastors and half a dozen attacks on
church targets in recent weeks. Many say the recent murders highlight a
growing trend of violence against Christians in India?s southern states. "It
looks like we are facing a new cycle of violence," said Bishop D. K Sahu,
General Secretary of the National Council of Churches in India.

According to reports, the recent wave of violence began Jan. 30, when Hindu
activists forced their way into a large Christian gathering alleging
conversions after hundreds of worshippers had come from towns and villages
in India?s Uttar Pradesh state to take part in a prayer rally. In another
reported incident of violence, the body of 25-year-old Pastor Narayan was
found on Feb. 11 in a small town in Mysore district, Karnataka state. Six
evangelical theology students were forcibly abducted and beaten on Feb. 13
in Kerala by activists of the RSS. (www.christianpost.com, February 23,
2005)
**

Students of Emmanuel Mission, Kota coming for their convocation ceremony
were forced to go back after violent protests from the Rashtriya Swayam
Sevak Sangh and the Bajrang Dal.  They alleged that the students have been
brought for conversions. The Congress alleged collusion between the
administration and the police in the attack on the Christians.	(The Hindu,
February 24, 2005)

Rajasthan will soon have a law against religious conversions. A bill to this
effect will be introduced in the State Assembly. (The Hindu, February 24,
2005)
**

Roman Catholic organizations in India demanded the withdrawal of a film that
depicts a priest having an affair with a girl half his age, in the movie
SINS. The National Commission for Minorities urged the Government of India
on February 24, 2005 to delay the release of the controversial film, till
the concerns of the Christian community are addressed.	The Catholic secular
Forum, had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to stall its release but
the Mumbai High Court cleared it for release. (The Hindu, February 24, 2005)
**
The Worldwide Anglican Church is heading for a split after the US and
Canadian clerics were asked to withdraw from key Anglican meetings in a
deepening row over the gay bishops. (The Hindu, February 26, 2005)
**
The Supreme Court has held in its judgment on February 10, 2005 that the
rape and murder of a girl child is within the ambit of the ?rarest of the
rare? case. It awarded the death sentence to the accused for raping and
murdering a six year old child. (The Hindu, February 11, 2005)

In another judgment on February 15,  2005, the Supreme Court held that if a
husband, a tenant deserted his wife and left the house then the landlord
cannot evict her as long as she pays the rent and performs the condition of
tenancy.  (The Hindu, February 16, 2005)
**

Eleven women make it to the Haryana Assembly. (The Hindu, February 28, 2005)
**

Smt. Girija Vyas has taken over as the chairperson of the National
Commission for Women (NCW). Smt. Vyas hopes to take the villages. The first
step will be taken  on te International Women?s Day on March08 with a
?Bharat Yatra?. It will be a phased programme spread over a year where the
NCW and its state units will collect first hand information on the needs of
the less privileged women and follow it up with time-bound implementation.
(Hindustan Times, February 16, 2005 and the Hindu, February 17, 2005)
**

The Government of Delhi has decided to form a task force to conduct surprise
raids and inspections of private ultra sound clinics and genetic centres to
check the sharp decline in the child sex ratio. The task force will consist
of the legal experts as well as the experts from the social sector. In the
prosperous South Delhi Zone, the girl boy sex ratio below five years has
declined to 762 girls born for every 1000 boys. (The Hindu, February 18-19,
2005)
**

Following the bizarre episode of the rape of a Class X student by the
Principal of a Government School and the  Vie Principal of another school,
the Delhi Government has decided to constitute committees in all the schools
to work out security measures for the student especially girls and also look
in to the cases of sexual harassment if any.  The Hindu, February 19, 2005)
**

The United Progressive Alliance has suggested to increase the number of
seats in the Lok Sabha from 543 to 724 to provide for the 33% reservation
for women. (The Hindu, February 25, 2005)
**

The women across the country are coming together to lobby for their rights
through the advocacy group, Womenpowerconnect (WPC) to complete the missing
link between the needs at the grass root level and the laws framed in the
Parliament. The strategic action plan of the WPC includes passage of the
Women?s Reservation Bill that guarantees 33% reservation for women in state
assemblies and Parliament, gender budgeting, tabling of the Domestic
Violence Bill and reforms in legislation concerning women. (The Hindu,
February 23, 24, 26 2005)
**

The Parliament is likely to initiate the adoption of all the children
orphaned by the killer Tsunami. This policy will extend to the children
rendered orphans in natural calamities and accidents. They would be called
the ?Children of the Parliament?. (The Hindu, February 23, 2005)
**

The National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights has called upon the Rajasthan
Government to take meaningful steps for welfare of Scheduled Castes and
Tribes. (The Hindu, February 25, 2005)
**

Bill for Communal Harmony to have special provisions for investigation and
trial through establishment of special courts with power for summary trials
and day-to-day hearings. The legislation may also include mandatory
provisions for the police to establish centres for the First Information
Reports in the affected localities and the relief camps wherever set up.  It
may also include statutory provisions for relief and rehabilitation measures
in the legislation.  (The Hindu, February 11, 2005)
**

The landmark Kyoto Protocol, which hopes to slow down global warming system,
came into effect from February 16, 2005. The treaty seeks fro the industrial
world to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 502% by 2012, with targets set
as per each country?s pollution level. Most of the industrialized world is
committed to it with the United States of America and Australia holding out.
(Hindustan Times, February 16, 2005.)
**

The women of Jammu & Kashmir have finally got justice. The State government
has to comply with the State High Court order that restored the right of
Permanent Resident of the state to women married to people outside the
state. Besides Indian citizenship, Permanent Resident status (PRS) is given
to those people whose ancestors lived in the state for at least ten years
before May 14, 1954. The women were issues a PRS which ?valid till marriage
only?. After marriage they had to reapply for the status. There was no such
provision for men. (The Hindu, February 16, 2005)
**

The Supreme Court has held that a member of the Scheduled caste or tribe
will not lose his or status on migration to another State and can be
considered for appointment reserved for that category in the state of his
origin. (The Hindu, February 20, 2005)
**

Media violence can lead to aggressive behavior in children according to a
study by the scientists from the University of Birmingham. This was found to
be particularly true in the case of boys. Family and social factors played a
crucial role in influencing child?s response to violent imagery. Film
violence had greater impact on children who had grown up in violent homes.
(The Hindu, February 21, 2005)
**

The newly constituted All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board (AIMWPLB)
has said it would draft its own nikahnama as per the Shariat in which the
rights and duties of bride and groom.  "The draft model nikahnama prepared
by the AIMPLB has several loopholes and is tilted towards men,? said AIMWPLB
president Shaista Ambe.

AIMWPLB has registered 166 cases during its first court held to redress the
problems faced by the women in the community. These cases pertain to triple
talaq and atrocities related to dowry.	(The Hindu, February 27 2005)
**

The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh has been asked to intervene to bring
about a comprehensive amendment to the Hindu Succession Act of 1956 to
address gender inequality. As of now the  amendment s do not address
inequalities in right to agricultural land, a person?s unrestricted rights
to will away his/her property : a provision used to disinherit women from
property. .  (The Hindu, February 27 2005)

Compiled by

Amelia Andrews
Associate Executive Secretary, Communication
National Council of Churches in India
16, Pandit Pant Marg,
New Delhi-110001
Ph: +91-11-55428662

__________________________
News letter : N C C India