JUDGMENT

Petitioner, the Archbishop of Thiruvananthapuram, is the 1st defendant in O.S.No.791/2009 on the file of the Munsiff's Court, Thiruvananthapuram.

2. St.Antony's Forane Church in Valiyathura Parish comes under the Archdiocese of the petitioner. Considering the extent of the area, population of parishioners and their convenience, the Archbishop has authority to decide bifurcation of a Parish, for the benefit of parishioners to get all their services from the Church, within the jurisdiction.

3. The plaintiffs are residents of Ward Nos.1 and

2, which was formerly part of Valiyathura Parish, coming under the St.Antony's Forane Church. The Parish was bifurcated, as a result of which, the parishioners residing in Ward Nos.1 and 2 were separated from Valiyathura Parish, constituting a separate Parish of Kochuthope with their Parish Church as 'Our Lady of Fathima Matha' and it was decided that the said Church would henceforth exercise all the religious rites concerning the parishioners residing within its jurisdiction.

4. The plaintiffs were aggrieved and they refused to be separated from their original Parish and the Church of St.Antony's Forane. They filed the suit challenging the co