Christian missions in the Telugu country - Uecf.net

176 MISSIONS IN THE TELUGU COUNTRY
the complainant, and two by the defendant. The
court meets, as a rule, at the village where the alleged
ofiEence took place. A complete and clear set of rules of
procedure is in existence. The panchayat has power to
inflict fines up to the limit of three rupees. Cases that
require more severe punishment must be sent to the
higher Church court. Either party has the right of
appeal to the higher court.
This higher court is called the Bishop's Local Council,
and directly represents the Bishop himself. The pre-
sident of the court is the missionary in charge of the
district, and the members are selected by him out of the
clergy, the catechists, and members of the pastorate
committees. The court must consist of five persons at
least, but may have more, provided that, whatever its
size, two-fifths of its members must be la3mien who are
not paid agents of the Mission. This court, besides hear-
ing appeals, tries those more serious cases that involve
excommunication, such as idolatry, marriage with a
heathen person, persistent sin, and the like. Moreover,
charges against agents on the permanent register can
only be heard by the higher court. It may be mentioned,
in passing, that the Indian pastors can be tried only by
a commission appointed specially by the Bishop. If
the verdict of the Bishop's Local Council be that the
guilty person deserves excommunication, his name is
sent to the Bishop, and the sentence pronounced by
him is read on a Sunday in every congregation in the
Mission—that is, in about two hundred places of wor-
ship. In like manner, a petition to be readmitted to
the Church must be tried by the Bishop's Local Council,