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

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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