For the first time in the history of the 145-year-old Methodist Church of India (MCI), its bishop in Mumbai, was suspended last week by the church’s governing council.
The church said that Bishop Dinesh Agarwal was suspended for ‘imprudent conduct, mal-administration and acting against the interest of the church’. The bishop’s office in Mumbai said that the decision to this effect was taken on May 6.
A senior member of the church who did not want to be named, said that there were several complaints against Agarwal, who was bishop for nearly 10 years.
“The preliminary inquiry against him showed that he had used benami petitioners to file multiple suits in the court to stall a recent general conference (church parliament), held once in four years.
He was also accused of not taking disciplinary action against two church officials who had damaged church interests,” said a church member. Said Rev Hector of the bishop’s office, “He was suspended by the church’s council of bishops.”
Agarwal said that he would seek justice against his suspension in the church’s internal judicial system. He added that he had not used other petitioners to stall the conference.
“I was suspended because I did not stop the petitioners from going to court. I am not guilty of mal-administration,” he said.
The church was in the news in 2002, when a section of the parishioners of Robinson Memorial Church, Byculla, a MCI constituent, rebelled against the bishop by refusing to allow a new pastor appointed by him, to take over religious affairs in their church.
The Methodist Church has over 1500 churches and institutions in India, out of which 250 are in Bombay and Gujarat.
The church had its beginnings in a revival movement in the US and England started by John Wesley, a clergyman from the Church of England, in the 18th century.
The movement eventually broke off from the Anglican Church. American missionaries brought the faith to India in the 19th century.
Bishop of Bangalore, Sampath Kumar has been given additional charge of Mumbai, the church said.