FRESH CHARGE AGAINST EMI PRESIDENT FALLS FLAT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 003307 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/17/2016 TAGS: PGOV PHUM KIRF KDEM SCUL CASC IN SUBJECT: FRESH CHARGE AGAINST EMI PRESIDENT FALLS FLAT REF: A. NEW DELHI 1818 ¶B. NEW DELHI 1953 ¶C. NEW DELHI 2291 ¶D. NEW DELHI 2446 ¶E. NEW DELHI 2915 ¶F. NEW DELHI 3117 Classified By: PolCouns Geoff Pyatt for reasons 1.4 (B,D) ¶1. (C) Summary: Emmanuel Ministries International's (EMI) President Samuel Thomas told Poloff on May 11 that the court struck down charges of sedition brought by the Rajasthan government on May 10. He noted that the charges were filed under Section 124 of the Indian Penal Code for having a map of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) on an EMI-affiliated website, which showed part of the state as part of Pakistan. The property registration hearing will be held on May 15, and EMI is likely to win the case, Thomas opined. Proffering that Rajasthan Chief Minister Raje is not against EMI, Thomas indicated that she also understands that she cannot come out in support of the ministry, because it would hurt her politically within her own BJP party. Thomas has not been silenced by the 47 days he spent in jail and remains confident that EMI will prevail. However, his fabrication of a story to Poloff about President APJ Abdul Kalam using the same map of J&K in his latest book, is flatly not true, supporting allegations made by Rajasthan-based Journalists (Ref D) that Thomas is not always truthful. End Summary. No New Charges -------------- ¶2. (SBU) EMI's President Samuel Thomas told Poloff on May 11 that the Rajasthan government failed to convict him on charges of sedition on May 10. The government brought forward a case of sedition under Section 124 of the Indian Penal Code, arguing that he propagated the belief that Kashmir is not part of India. The charge, stemming from the use of a map of Jammu and Kashmir on an EMI-affiliated website that indicated part of that state as part of Pakistan, was dismissed and he paid a 200 rupee (USD 4.50) fine for a lesser charge, Thomas noted. He asserted that the Rajasthan government brought the charges against him solely for harassment and that others who have used non-official maps in their publication -- including, he alleged, President Kalam -- have not faced prosecution. Property Hearing on May 15 -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Thomas also told us that the property registration hearing (Reftels) has been postponed until May 15, and that he was confident EMI would prevail. He indicated that the state government withdrew EMI's registration, because the organization failed to hold mandatory board meetings and file minutes with the authorities. "EMI held every board meeting and sent our notes to the authorities on time," Thomas asserted. He argued that the only way the charges will be upheld is if the court bows to the Hindutva forces who are out to shut the ministry down. Raje's Balancing Act -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Rajasthan Chief Minister Raje is "not completely innocent nor completely involved" in the campaign against EMI, Thomas remarked. "Raje is a smart woman. She is not against EMI, but knows that if she does not do the bidding of her BJP supporters, she could be out of a job," Thomas NEW DELHI 00003307 002 OF 002 opined. He concluded that Rajasthan and India as a whole, is incredibly corrupt and Sangh Parivar elements use ill-gotten influence in the government to go after EMI. Comment: Thomas Confident, But Misleading -------------- ¶5. (C) Samuel Thomas does not appear to have been intimidated by the 47 days he spent in jail. He remains an outspoken critic of his detractors and was confident that his organization will prevail in the end. However, Thomas demonstrated tha he is willing to stretch the truth in order to further his goals by fabricating a story about the controversial map. He stressed to Poloff that President Kalam also used the non-official map in his book "India 2020, A vision for the New Millennium," and did not face charges for it. Poloff viewed the book and it does not contain a map of J&K. Thomas' willingness to stretch the truth supports assertions made by our Rajasthani interlocutors that he has lied about EMI activities in the past. One such example concern's Thomas' denial that EMI regularly carries out conversions at its hospitals and orphanages. Rajasthan-based journalists told us (Ref D) that this is indeed the case. Nevertheless, we will keep fighting hard to ensure religious freedom for EMI. ¶6. (U) Visit New Delhi's Classified Website: (http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/sa/newdelhi/) MULFORD