Rationalist vs rationalist in self imposed exile: Prof. Narendra Nayak expose the controversy
Mangalore Today News Network
Mangaluru, April 14, 2025: This the story of two rationalists- a small time one staying in a village near Alleppey in Kerala vs an internationally renowned a big time figure who heads an organization called as Indian rationalist Association with allegedly 100,000 members and an international one called as Rationalist International, which is a profit making commercial enterprise.
Sanal Edmaruku, the rationalist from India who is in self imposed exile in Finland from 2012 claims to be in threat of murder by the Roman Catholic church had achieved international fame when he questioned an alleged miracle of water dripping from the cross of Jesus Christ in Mumbai. He had made many allegations about the so called miracle being masterminded by the church, such being promoted to make money etc. These were made in a panel discussion on TV channel. He had also challenged them to file cases against him and so on. The challenge was met not by the church but by an allegedly fringe organization of the faithful called association of concerned Catholics who according to the words of Rev. Nigel Barrett do not represent the church in any way. This was in an interview to a magazine called as Frontline in its issue dated October,4 2013. In the same interview he also claims a number of things, clarifies the stand of the church which he states that it never claimed that the water dripping had any miraculous origin and also makes a bold statement that “We do not have a dispute with Mr.Sanal”!
However, the claim of Sanal Edmaruku continues to be that this church is out to murder him in prison etc. While we are all in agreement that section 295A needs to be amended, the representative of the church Rev. Barrett has also gone on record stating that the “blasphemy law is an archaic law that needs to be changed”. He has also stated that there is “nothing defamatory or blasphemous in what he has said”. Though there is a claim that due to the number of cases filed against him in several police stations across Maharashtra which forced him to go into self imposed exile or rather seek employment outside, causing issuance of red border notices to interpol by the authorities there have been no attempts made by interpol to nab him till recently when he as arrested when he landed in Poland! The reason for this is that interpol does arrest people but for serious crimes like murder, rape, fraud etc. The organization does not bother to nab anyone for alleged offenses like blasphemy, flouting cultural norms etc.
The cause for arrest and deportation has nothing to with the so-called blasphemy case. The offence is related to issues like visa fraud, cheating etc. This story goes back to one Ms. Prameela Devi from Kerala who had trusted his claims that he could get her a visa to Finland along with employment and she and her whole family could shift there. Trusting this senior rationalist this woman who was also an atheist and rationalist had sent amounts to him after raising loans to the extent of Rs.15 lakhs at various times. But, after realizing the promises of this man were all empty and that her money was gone, she tried to recover it. However, he refused to pay and she filed a police complaint, the details of which can be found at this link https://www.casemine.com/judgement/in/67155e1fada6643f9ec9728d. Since the case at the Indian court was taking too long and the accused was in Finland for more than a decade.
She tried to get justice there too and the case details can be had here:
"Sanal Edamaruku spoiled our dream of a better life in Finland"
Mr. Edamaruku tried to get the case squashed from the high court of Kerala which rejected his contentions, ordered to come to India and prove his innocence. The judgment of this case delivered in 2024 December till which the red corner notice was kept in abeyance! When the head was arrested Rationalist International went into the hyper-mode starting a petition to prevent his deportation to India on a blasphemy charge and claimed double jeopardy for the fraud case! However, the rationalist community took this with a pinch of salt. Since the Indian media claimed that the arrest was a huge set back to the movement, Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations had to issue a statement that he had nothing to with seventy plus organisations of grass root level workers who are affiliated to it. Many groups chose to ignore it. Babu Gogineni who was Director of International Humanist and Ethical Union (now Humanists International) for nearly two decades from 1997 to 2015 went on record quoting his past experiences with this individual: it is sickening to know how a person who was on the death row in Pakistan for blasphemy charges would have met his end because of the mischief by this rogue who created fake email IDs and tried to disturb the campaign to liberate the one on blasphemy death row. India’s Telecom Department and a forensic analyst investigated using publicly available evidence to narrow down on him to his exact residential address in New Delhi. It should have been a police complaint then itself, but when his scandalous acts were made public to the entire world he receded into the shadows in ignominy - until the Mumbai Jesus statue-plumbing problem gave him an opportunity to both leave India and to relaunch himself (unsuccessfully) into the international arena. No one encouraged him this time except a few gullible Humanists. We see that an Internet campaign on change.org to get him support got a royal 11 signatures in 5 days - imagine less than 20 signatures for a person who claims to be hard of a 100,000 strong person organization! Lies all along, everywhere. We are certain that his victim Mrs. Prameela Devi will get hundreds of signatures of a campaign were launched for her! Humanists and Rationalists are not cult members and they have an ethical core and conscience.
The rationalist community from India stand with ‘guru’ as claimed by section of the media or with the victim of the injustice is something that has to be seen. As things as of now, looks like no one is bothered about the ‘guru’!Federation of Rationalist Associations of India, a body who has 70 various organizations all of which are voluntarily bodies with memberships of grass root level and neither Indian Rationalist association or Rationalist International have any connection with it. They have also categorically stated they have a number of role models look up to and he is not one of them.
In this case the rationalists of India have more sympathy for the victim than the perpetrator of the fraud. It should be also that rationalism is not a cult or a personality based movement but one that stands for justice and fair-play.
Narendra Nayak
President FIRA