“The total estimated value of these properties is around Rs 20,000 crore, making the Church a significant player in India’s real estate landscape. As of 2012, the Catholic Church has 2,457 hospital dispensaries, 240 medical or nursing colleges, 28 general colleges, 5 engineering colleges, 3,765 secondary schools, 7,319 primary schools and 3,187 nursery schools in the field of education and healthcare sector in the country. Much of its land was acquired during British rule. In 1927, the British administration passed the Indian Church Act, facilitating large-scale land grants to the Church,” it said.
The Organiser article also pointed to a major contention, whether some of the land was…