EMMANUEL MINISTRIES PRESIDENT FREE ON BAIL, COURT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 003117 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM KIRF KDEM SCUL CASC IN SUBJECT: EMMANUEL MINISTRIES PRESIDENT FREE ON BAIL, COURT DECISIONS PENDING, STATE GOVERNMENT ACTS HELPFULLY REF: A. NEW DELHI 1818 ¶B. NEW DELHI 1953 ¶C. NEW DELHI 2291 ¶D. NEW DELHI 2446 ¶E. NEW DELHI 2915 ¶1. (SBU) Emmanuel Ministries International (EMI) President Samuel Thomas was released from judicial custody on May 2, and his next hearing will be on May 12, EMI Hospital Administrator Jacob Matthew told us on May 5. Jacob commented that the property registration dispute with the Rajasthan Government has not been resolved, but there will be a hearing on May 8 in Jaipur on the issue, and he was confident the decision would ultimately be in EMI's favor. He noted that EMI operations in Kota are functioning, although not at full capacity and only due to payments provided, ironically, by the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. In Delhi, minority leaders urged Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh on May 4 to convince Rajasthan Governor Pratibha Devisingh Patil not to sign the pending anti-conversion bill. EMI's plight has received relatively speedy attention from the slow moving Indian judicial system. Chief Minister Raje's release of payments from her Relief Fund signals that the anti-EMI campaign does not have her support. We will keep pressure on Jaipur and Delhi to do the right thing. End Summary. EMI President out of Bail -------------- ¶2. (SBU) EMI President Samuel Thomas was released from judicial custody on May 2 and will have his next court appearance on May 12, EMI Hospital Director Jacob Matthew told Poloff on May 5. Commenting that Thomas was in a rural area of Rajasthan and out of contact, Matthew indicated that Thomas would be able to talk to us on May 8. He then predicted that the Rajasthan government would likely attempt to lay two new charges on Thomas on May 12, but could not specify what they would be. Matthew suggested he was confident that in the end Thomas would not be found guilty, because he has done nothing wrong. Hearing on EMI Registration Scheduled for May 8 -------------- -- ¶3. (SBU) As reported in Ref A, the Government of Rajasthan suspended the registration of EMI property and froze its assets in February 2006. Matthew noted that, without active registration, EMI could not function legally nor access its funds. He told us that EMI has a hearing scheduled for May 8 to determine if the registration should be restored, and that he was confident his organization would prevail. "The Rajasthan Government did not follow the law when they revoked our registration," Matthew asserted, as "it was only done to harass us." He remarked that "everything is now in the hands of the courts and our fingers are crossed that we will get the registration back." EMI Properties Running at Partial Capacity -------------- ¶4. (SBU) In an ironic twist, Matthew stated that the Chief Minister's Relief Fund has provided between three and four hundred thousand Rupees (approximately USD 6800 to 9000) to EMI over the last month to keep the hospital, orphanage and school open. He noted that the orphanage, which is home to 2200 children, is fully funded and providing three meals a NEW DELHI 00003117 002 OF 002 day. The hospital is running at a much reduced capacity, however, as it does not have enough money to pay the salaries for all its doctors. Matthew commented that the hospital currently has only two doctors out of nine on staff. The two spend most of their time caring for the children in the EMI orphanage and the hospital now directs other patients to nearby government hospitals for treatment. The EMI school is closed until the start of the next school year on July 2, and "by the beginning of the next semester, we hope this problem will be solved," Matthew concluded. Minority Leaders Lobby Delhi on Anti-Conversion Bill -------------- -------------- ¶5. (U) Representatives of various minority communities from Rajasthan met with National Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh on May 4, urging him to oppose Rajasthan's anti-conversion legislation. The group asked the Minister to urge Rajasthan Governor Pratibha Devisingh Patil not to sign the bill. According to General Secretary of the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee Jai Singh Rathore, who was the leader of the delegation, Minister Singh indicated he would discuss the matter with Chief Minister Raje when he visits Rajasthan later in May. Comment: A Fast Response By Indian Standards -------------- ¶6. (SBU) While most cases languish for months or even years in the incredibly slow Indian judicial system, EMI and Samuel Thomas have received relatively speedy attention from the courts. Court decisions during the week of May 8-12 will be important to the future of EMI and the Embassy will closely monitor the situation. However, the Chief Minister's approval of payments to EMI from her Relief Fund demonstrates that the campaign against EMI does not originate from her office and points to the likelihood of a fair hearing for the organization. That Arjun Singh committed to look into the signing of legislation in a state run by the opposition BJP could also hint that there could be further positive developments in store. We will keep up the pressure in Delhi and Jaipur to get the state government to do the right thing in this important religious freedom case. ¶7. (U) Visit New Delhi's Classified Website: (http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/sa/newdelhi/) MULFORD