The Kerala High Court has admitted a petition challenging the participation of State government representatives in the installation ceremony of Joseph Mar Gregorios as Catholicos of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church in Lebanon on March 25.

The petition was filed by Gilbert Cheeran, a member of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, citing Supreme Court orders in this regard.

He contended that it was wrong to spend public funds on the travel and other expenses of such government representatives, which included Ministers, MLAs and high officials of the State who were under oath to uphold the Constitution.

The installation ceremony is scheduled for March 25 at St. Mary’s Syrian Orthodox Cathedral in Lebanon. Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church Ignatius Aphrem II will lead the ceremony. Bishops of the Syriac Orthodox Church and representatives of other Churches are among those expected to attend.

A representative of the Government of India and a State government delegation led by Industries Minister P. Rajeeve too are scheduled to attend the ceremony.

The petitioner sought a declaration by the court that Joseph Mar Gregorios is not the Catholicos appointed under the Malankara Church constitution of 1934 and a directive restraining him from interfering with the control of any of the 1,064 parishes of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church administered under the Malankara constitution.