The State government on Wednesday sought more time from the High Court to implement a directive to hand over the management of the Mulanthuruthy church to the Orthodox faction vicar.
In a statement, the government submitted that the district administration had not been able to enforce the order as it was engaged in duties related to COVID-19.
The government needed more time for implementing the order. The district administration would be able to mobilise maximum police force for the effective implementation of the order when the pandemic situation improved. It also sought to continue the present status quo arrangement till the COVID situation eased.
It said if the order was implemented, both the faction members would come out of their homes which would lead to the spread of the epidemic.
Besides, the Jacobite faction would go to any extent to prevent the enforcement of the order which would result in a massive riot and a large number of police personnel would have to be deployed to maintain the law and order situation.
It would also not be practical to maintain physical distancing and other protocols for preventing the spread of COVID-19. Besides, the majority of police officers had been assigned COVID-related works. Therefore, the police faced practical difficulties in effectively implementing the court order.
The statement was filed in response to a contempt of court petition filed by the Orthodox faction vicar.
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