Indian state denies Christian orphanage new permit

UCA News reporter

An orphaned Indian baby girl is placed in a cradle by a nun at The Matruchhaya Orphanage which is run by The Sisters of Charity of St. Anne Trust in Nadiad some 60kms. from Ahmedabad in this Oct 29, 2011 file photo. (Photo: AFP)

A central Indian state has refused to renew the permit of a Christian orphanage, accusing it of running boys' and girls' hostels under one license.

The Department for Women and Child Development in Madhya Pradesh refused to renew the permit of the orphanage managed by Adharshila Sansthan (Cornerstone Institution), run by a Protestant couple, in Damoh district.

Madhya Pradesh is ruled by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

We have running this orphanage since 2005 and have complied with all legal formalities, said a senior orphanage official.

Nearly 18 children from the orphanage have been adopted by couples from foreign countries and 27 children were adopted by Indian couples from different parts of the country.

Currently, the orphanage has 11 girls and five boys ready for adoption and they will be moved to other orphanages in the state.

It seemed to be a planned conspiracy to target our institution

Our institution is a government-recognized adoption center and we accommodate orphans referred to us either by the district child welfare committee or courts, the official who did not want to be named told UCA News on Sept. 11.

The main reason cited to dismiss our application to renew the license was that we were running boys' and girls' hostels under one registration which is not prohibited under the law, the official said.

The state child rights panel on Sept. 5 accused Adharshila Sansthan of not complying with the provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.

It seemed to be a planned conspiracy to target our institution that has been serving the poor for close to two decades, the official noted.

Praksha Pathak, Damoh district chairperson of the child rights panel, told UCA News on Sept. 11 that we will take a call on shifting the children in the orphanage.  

She, however, refused to divulge details, saying, These are confidential issues which cannot be shared with the media.

The state government has initiated a campaign against Christian institutions

According to Church officials, the state government has initiated a campaign against Christian institutions like schools, hostels, and orphanages in Madhya Pradesh, where a sweeping anti-conversion law has been in full force since 2021.

On Nov. 13, 2022, Priyank Kanoongo, chairperson of the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights, filed a complaint against 10 people, including founder Dr. Ajay Lall, after a raid on the orphanage run by Adharshila Sansthan.

In the complaint, Kanoongo accused the orphanage of violating the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act. The case is still under investigation.

Kanoongo and his team have filed complaints against several Christian-run institutions, accusing them of violating the state's anti-conversion law. 

The accused include senior Church leaders, including a bishop, priests, and nuns.

Madhya Pradesh has been ruled by the pro-Hindu BJP for two decades with the exception of one and a half years from 2018 to 2020.

Christians make up a mere 0.29 percent of the more than 72 million people in the state, of whom more than 80 percent are Hindus.