Karnataka High Court Fines Man Linked To Christian Missionary Group ₹1 Lakh For Asking CJI To Change ED Officer Probing Him

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday (August 5) imposed costs of ₹1 lakh on a man allegedly linked to The Timothy Initiative (TTI), a Christian missionary organisation under investigation over allegations of channeling funds to Naxal-affected regions, for sending representations to the Chief Justice of India (CJI), the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court and the Union Finance Minister seeking a change of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer investigating him.

A single judge Bench of Justice Suraj Govindaraj strongly deprecated the petitioner's conduct in addressing representations not only to the Directorate of Enforcement but also to high constitutional authorities, including the CJI and the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court.

“…The manner in which the said representation has been addressed not only to the Directorate of ED, but to the Minister of Finance, Chief Justice of Delhi and Chief Justice of India by marking emails to the email ID of the High Court of Delhi as also Supreme Court of India is required to be deprecated and is hereby deprecated in no uncertain terms by this Court," the court observed.

Rejecting the petitioner's plea for change of the Investigating Officer (IO), the Court held that a person under investigation has no right to choose the officer investigating the case.

When the matter was taken up, the Court orally remarked, “…The said representation firstly could not have been submitted by the petitioner since he is under investigation and no choice regarding IO.”

The Court imposed costs of ₹1 lakh, payable to the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA) within 15 days, warning that the amount would be recoverable as arrears of land revenue if not paid.

The petitioner, Fair Vakkayij John, had approached the High Court seeking a direction to consider his representations seeking replacement of the Investigating Officer, Assistant Director Sunil Kumar Sinhmari, in the ED proceedings against him.

The petition arose after John was allegedly intercepted by the ED at Kempegowda International Airport on April 18, 2026. According to the case records, he was travelling with Micah Mark, India Head of The Timothy Initiative (TTI), who was intercepted for allegedly possessing 24 foreign debit cards.

Senior Advocate Sandesh Chouta, appearing for the petitioner, argued that the Investigating Officer was biased against his client. He submitted that the officer intercepted the petitioner without registration of an ECIR, detained him for 24 hours, and that a complaint had been lodged against the officer.

The Court, however, rejected the contention. “…. A person under investigation has no choice regarding the Investigating Officer and cannot seek a change of IO through a representation. The Director of ED may entrust investigation to an officer of his choice, but not at the request of the petitioner”, it said.

It further remarked, "That would be a ground for you to argue, not for change by way of representation."

The Court noted that the petitioner had addressed a representation dated July 25, 2026 to the Union Finance Minister and the Directorate of Enforcement, while marking copies to the Secretary, Department of Financial Services, the Chief Vigilance Officer of the ED, the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court and the Chief Justice of India.

Observing that such conduct ought not to be encouraged, the Court said, “…The manner in which such a representation has been addressed would require the Court to impose costs on the petitioner so that these acts are not encouraged in future.”

The Court however partly allowed the petition by directing the CISF Commandant and the Managing Director of Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) to preserve CCTV footage from 11:00 PM on April 17, 2026, to 11:00 PM on April 18, 2026, covering the period of the petitioner's interception at the airport.

The Court sought clarification regarding the precise locations of the CCTV cameras whose footage was to be preserved, observing, “…From the disembarkation, or time of arrival...Which CCTV cameras are to be preserved? From which location?”

The respondents were directed to specify the exact locations for preservation of the footage.

According to the ED, the foreign debit cards seized from the TTI functionary and others were allegedly used to channel around ₹92.5 crore to Naxal-affected regions across India. The agency has alleged that over 1,000 such debit cards were distributed in India over the past few years, with withdrawals of nearly ₹40 crore made during the first three months of 2026 from states including Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Assam.

Following the interception, Micah Mark was booked under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, as well as Sections 13, 17 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, relating to unlawful activities, raising funds for terrorist acts and conspiracy.

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Case Title: Fair Vakkayij John v. Union of India & Ors.

Case No: WP 24293/2026