“Priests in the dark”
For 10 consecutive years when I was the BPP’s chief executive officer I researched various documents and found no evidence that the BPP was also a "religious trust.”
How could Manohar seal the fate of Ervads Khushroo Madon and Framroze Mirza without giving them a hearing? Even a murderer, rapist or traitor is heard before a verdict is passed. As a concerned Zoroastrian, I am couriering a copy of this letter to the Chief Justice of India Justice H. L. Dattu, requesting him not to entertain Manohar’s recommendations. She owes an explanation to the community for her ex parte summation.
B. T. DASTUR
Ervads Framroze Mirza (left) and Khushroo Madon
At Parsiana’s request Jamsheed Kanga has responded:
In a recent issue of Parsiana (March 21, 2015) Ervad Khushroo Madon, one of the two priests banned by the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) from praying at Doongerwadi and the two agiaries managed by the BPP has stated: "We don’t even know what the terms of the settlement are. We are at the center of the dispute and they blatantly excluded us from the entire process.” He and Ervad Framroze Mirza claim that the BPP and the appellants cannot decide their fate in the mediation.
Obviously Madon feels that the entire case, referred to as the "Renegade priests case,” was fought for them alone and they were the main actors. It needs to be explained to him and to those who are misleading him that Homi Khusrokhan and I, who believe that the BPP trustees have only secular powers and not the power to decide on any religious issues under the trust deed, approached the High Court by filing an originating summons for a determination of this fact. As the Justices noted the issue concerned not "only these two priests but all the priests and all issues concerning the religion” and whether the BPP trustees "had the authority to take any religious decision.”
The main issue in this case was the interpretation of the powers of the trustees. Unfortunately, certain persons who had not contributed a pie to the costly proceedings nor have shown any interest in it are now trying to capture the limelight by inciting these simple priests and making them believe that the case was fought for them alone and that they are the victims. In fact, right at the beginning Mirza had filed an affidavit that he was not interested in being a party to the suit. He now seems to have changed his stand. Madon showed no interest in the proceedings and did not attend a single hearing.