CNI ex-bishop case: ED raids 10 places in Ngp, Ranchi & Jabalpur

Nagpur/Bhopal/Jabalpur: The enforcement directorate (ED) on Wednesday carried out raids at 10 places in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand in connection with the probe into a money laundering case against former Jabalpur bishop PC Singh — moderator of Church of North India (CNI) — and some of his family members.
Around 10 premises in Nagpur, Jabalpur and Ranchi were raided, and incriminating documents were confiscated, sources said.
In Nagpur, the office of the Nagpur Diocese, Bishop House and other establishments of the trust were searched by the sleuths. This was related to an earlier allegation of sale of church properties during Singh’s tenure. “The raiding team has been looking for papers to verify the allegations,” said a source, who is part of the church management here.
The establishments come under the Church of North India (CNI) of the Protestant order. Churches and other properties like the All Saints Cathedral 1840 Church, the Tiger Gap cemetery apart from the Christ Church at Kamptee and the graveyard opposite it come under the Nagpur Diocese.
The ED has filed a case under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), taking cognizance of an economic offences wing (EOW) FIR that names Singh and his son Piyush Paul. Searches by Madhya Pradesh EOW at his home had unearthed nearly Rs2 crore in Indian and foreign currency.
On September 12, 2022, Singh was detained at Nagpur airport for questioning after an offence was registered against him in connection with a case registered by EOW in Jabalpur under IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act. He was later arrested.
A complaint by a Chhattisgarh activist had led to the EOW case against the bishop. The complainant had alleged that Singh had leased out a prime property of CNI in 2016. The property in question is CNI’s gymkhana, a British-era building, which was leased for around Rs3 crore. The activist had sent complaints to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office demanding ED probe.
Singh also faces allegations that as moderator of CNI and bishop of the Jabalpur Diocese, he changed the name of Nagpur Diocesan Board of Education without the consent of the board and appointed himself chairman of the society. He is also accused of misusing his position as chairman of the society and diverting funds from educational institutions to religious institutions, Jabalpur Diocese and for his personal use.
During the EOW investigation, it was found that from 2004-05 to 2011-2012, Singh allegedly transferred over Rs2.7 crore to the Jabalpur Diocese from different schools run by the society.
He is also accused of taking a loan of Rs15 lakh in 2009 from Christ Church Boys’ Senior Secondary School and using it to buy a private property. This loan was allegedly fraudulently shown as “secured loan” to Jabalpur Diocese in the school accounts.
The FIR also alleges that Singh and one Luvy Mary Sathe bought a property meant for opening a branch of Christ Church School in Saliwada (Jabalpur) in their own names and the EMI for this loan was paid by the school.