The Kerala High Court on Tuesday clarified that the kin of the deceased members of the Kothamangalam Marthoman Cheriyapally may forgo funeral services in the church or its cemetery or opt for funeral services at any other premises by a priest of their choice in view of the provisions in the Kerala Christian Cemeteries (Right to Burial of Corpse) Ordinance, 2020.
Justice P.B. Suresh Kumar made the clarification while disposing of a review plea by the government and members of the Jacobite faction against a judgment directing the Ernakulam Collector to take over Kothamangalam church, its precincts, and all its movable property after removing all persons sitting on the church premises. The court observed that the reasons cited by the government for not implementing the court directive could not be accepted.
