‘Order CBI probe in fake document case against Cardinal’

Kochi, May 20 (IANS) A section of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church on Monday demanded either a CBI or a judicial probe into the fake document case to defame its Cardinal, Archbishop George Alencherry.

A day after a police probe team zeroed in on young engineer Aditiyan on charges of charges of forging the documents to defame the Cardinal and arrested him, a group of Catholic priests attached to the Ernakulam-Angamaly diocese, led by Bishop of Palaghat Mar Jacob Manathodath, gave a clean chit to Aditiyan.

Manathodath, who was accompanied by a few priests and Adityan's father, told the media that the young engineer had done no wrong and he was brutally harassed by the police to name Catholic priest K.Tony of their diocese.

Senior priest M. Kuriakose said: "We have now realized that the present police probe is lopsided and this hapless Aditiyan was brutally pressurized to name Tony and fearing for his life, he said the name. We demand that only a CBI probe or a judicial probe will help the truth to come out, as we are convinced there was no manufacture of fake documents."

The police team investigating the case questioned a few Catholic priests and based on their statements, picked Aditiyan on Saturday and formally arrested him on Sunday. Aditiyan has been sent to judicial custody till May 31.

According to the probe team, after questioning of Aditiyan, it found that there was a conspiracy to tarnish the Cardinal's image.

The Cardinal, however, refused to comment on the arrest of Aditiyan, saying that the police and the courts would decide.