Jehovah’s Witnesses drop judicial review application over Charity Commission production order

The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain, which oversees Jehovah’s Witnesses congregations in the UK, has withdrawn its application for a judicial review. This decision concludes a two-and-a-half-year legal battle with the Charity Commission, which initiated a statutory inquiry into the organization in May 2014 due to safeguarding concerns.

As part of the inquiry, the Charity Commission issued a production order requiring the charity to provide certain documents. The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain sought judicial reviews against both the inquiry and the production order. In August, the Supreme Court ruled that the charity could not halt the inquiry, though it retained the right to challenge the production order.

Today, the Charity Commission announced it would revoke the production order, and the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain agreed to withdraw its judicial review application. The commission stated that the charity had provided documents for inspection and that additional information had been gathered from other sources. The charity confirmed it had supplied the documents and agreed to withdraw the review.

A charity spokesman said the organization would now collaborate with the commission to address the inquiry’s issues and regulatory concerns. The commission emphasized it would continue working with the charity to understand its safeguarding policies and practices, as well as the ongoing statutory inquiry.

The withdrawal of the judicial review marks the end of legal proceedings regarding the inquiry into the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain as a whole. However, the charity is still contesting a separate statutory inquiry into the Manchester New Moston Congregation, which was launched simultaneously. This inquiry followed revelations that victims of sexual abuse by a former congregation trustee were required to meet with their abuser.

Source: Read the original report