A special court in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh has remanded ousted Protestant Bishop P C Singh in seven days in the custody of Directorate of Enforcement (ED) for interrogation.
Officials from the ED reportedly arrested the former prelate in his residence in Jabalpur on April 12 and produced before the special court in Jabalpur the following day. The court deals with cases of money laundering.
Bishop Singh came to the ED radar following the September 2022 raid of his office and residence by the Economic Offence Wing (EOW), a provincial probe agency dealing with economic offenses in Madhya Pradesh.
The ED is the economic intelligence agency responsible for enforcing economic laws and fighting economic crime in India.
The EOW seized cash worth 16 million rupees and foreign currency worth some US$250 from the bishop’s house, besides documents of properties and vehicles allegedly disproportionate to his income.
They charged him with misappropriation of funds, forgery and cheating among other things.
Bishop Singh was also accused of diverting the funds of diocesan schools for his personal use and was suspected of having been involved in money laundering.
Bishop Singh was the moderator of the Church of North India that has 27 dioceses. Soon after his arrest the Synod, top decision making body of the CNI dismissed him from both offices.
