The Kerala High Court on Tuesday ordered a police probe against the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church Cardinal and others for allegedly affecting a land deal that caused a loss of crores of rupees to the Church here.

Besides Cardinal Mar George Alencherry, the court also ordered the probe against two priests and a middleman, allegedly involved in the deal that was “effected” by Alencherry.

The Ernakulam archdiocese in 2016 had sold a three-acre piece of land in Kochi to repay a Rs 60 crore bank loan it had earlier taken to construct a medical college.

The agent appointed by the church to facilitate the deal had estimated the value of the land at Rs 27.30 crore, but priests and local people claimed that the property’s real value was at least Rs 80 crore.

The court on Tuesday came down heavily on the Cardinal and asked whether the “Cardinal is the King”.

This was after last week, when the court had taken a strong view of the Cardinal’s counsel’s contention that as far as the Cardinal is concerned, the appellate authority is the Pope.

The court had then said that it was strange to hear that the law of the land was not applicable to the Cardinal.

It had also made it clear that it was looking if there was any breach of trust in the land deal.

The court’s observation on Tuesday came in the light of a petitioner seeking a probe into the land deal done by the Cardinal, which came under severe attack both from the public and even a section of priests attached to the diocese headed by the Cardinal.

The Cardinal’s counsel had argued that despite a few petitions against the land deal and the demand for a detailed probe raised with the Vatican, no action has been initiated by the Pope.

The petitioner had urged the court to order the probe. Now with the court ordering the police probe, an FIR would be registered soon in the case.

Reacting to the verdict, Paul Thelekkat, senior priest of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church said that it was a sad and very painful verdict.

“Everyone in the Church, including the Pope, is aware of what has happened. But despite the best efforts, it was not resolved.

“What must be noted is that despite ways and means of a course correction being there in the system — that also was not used. This is a sad and painful verdict,” said Thelekkat.