- 26 September, 2025
Goa, September 26, 2025 – The Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court on September 23 dismissed a 2022 FIR against Pastor Dominic D’Souza and his wife, Joan D’Souza, founders of the Five Pillars Church in Siolim, Goa. The case, which alleged that the couple had coerced two individuals into converting to Christianity, was dropped after the additional public prosecutor admitted there was no evidence to support the claims.
The FIR in the case was filed in May 2022 by a man named Prakash Khobrekar, who alleged that the couple had induced two people to give up their faith and convert to Christianity, offering cash and promising to cure them of their ailments. The pastor was arrested after the complaint was filed and released on bail the same day. With the passing of the High Court's judgement, the case has now been proved false.
The court action followed the Mapusa Police filing an 'A' summary report noting a lack of substantial evidence, prompting the High Court to dismiss the charges.
Advocate Ankur Kumar and Advocate Manuel D’Souza, who are part of the legal team which represented the couple, described the ruling as a “big moment” and stated that their clients had been subjected to harassment through what he termed a “bogus and false” case.
"The Goa government’s Additional Public Prosecutor confirmed during the case hearing that there is no evidence to support the case," Adv. Manuel stated while speaking to Catholic Connect News. He added that the chargesheet in this case was never filed; "It was a false case, and therefore, there was no legal ground to justify ongoing proceedings," he said.
Advocate Manuel stated that the High Court quashed and set aside FIR/126/2022 in response to petitions filed by Domnic and Joan D’Souza, providing a strong basis for claiming compensation. He also confirmed that a separate petition seeking redress for the harassment faced by the couple is currently pending in the Mapusa JMFC and Sessions Court, addressing defamation and compensation claims.
“Now that the FIR has been quashed, we can submit the High Court judgement copy to the Mapusa JMFC and the Sessions Court to support our claim for compensation,” Advocate Manuel said. “The quashing of the FIR itself establishes that the allegations were false and serves as a strong foundation for our compensation claim,” he added.
The Five Pillars Church in Siolim village has been facing trouble since the present state government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, was re-elected to power in 2022. In January 2024, Pastor Dominic was arrested in a separate case filed by Balasubramaniam Vadivel, who accused him of attempted conversion. The pastor was subsequently granted bail, and the FIR related to the case has been contested by the pastor and his spouse in the High Court, with a hearing scheduled for next month.
In December 2022, the then North Goa District Collector Dr. Sneha Gitte had passed an order banning all activities of the church following complaints of alleged illegal conversions against it. However, the church successfully appealed the decision, and the Bombay High Court at Goa quashed and set aside the ban in May 2024.
By Catholic Connect Reporter
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