01/13/2019 India (International Christian Concern) – The hearing for an American pastor detained in India was postponed on Thursday by the Siliguri court.
Pastor Bryan Nerren was arrested this past October on the grounds that he had brought $40,000 with him into India. The funds were purposed towards pastoral visits and the cost of two conferences as he planned to travel throughout India and Nepal. He was never given any form to declare the funds when he was in the visa line, and authorities had questioned him during interrogation on whether the funds would be used for “Christian purposes.” He was jailed for six days before being allowed to pay bail, after which the judge ordered a travel ban and took his passport.
The case has progressed with some difficulty. An unscheduled court hearing on December 7th involved a new judge, who disregarded the previous judge’s requirements in the case which should have lifted the travel ban when certain documentation was provided. His case has bounced between the Siligrui court and Kolkata court, blurring jurisdiction lines. However, Pastor Nerren is not allowed to travel to Kolkata.
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