B. P. Sugandhar[5] (28 September 1943[4] – 5 December 2017)[6] was the fifth successor of Frank Whittaker as Bishop - in - Medak[7] of the Church of South India whose bishopric lasted for more than a decade and half from 1993[1] through 2009[8] coinciding with the archbishoprics of Samineni Arulappa and Marampudi Joji of the Archdiocese of Hyderabad.

Sugandhar led the Diocese of Medak through its evangelical ministry[10] which later extended far beyond the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Diocese of Medak when he was elected to the Church of South India Synod for four consecutive bienniums, as Deputy Moderator in 2000 and as Moderator[11] in 2004 and was at the helm of leadership of the CSI Synod in the 2000s and crisscrossed throughout southern India that included not only the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, but also the Union territory of Puducherry and the neighbouring nation of Sri Lanka.

After serving the ministries of the Church as an ecclesiastical co-worker spanning four decades (1969–2009), Sugandhar breathed his last on Tuesday, 5 December 2017[12] in his quarters in West Marredpally, Secunderabad.

As an administrator of the Diocese of Medak from 1993 through 2009, Sugandhar donned the mantle of a Vocation Promoter and led many youth to full-time ministry making them undergo studies in divinity at the Spiritual formation centres in Secunderabad and at Bangalore at the Andhra Christian Theological College and the United Theological College, both of which were notable for their Old Testament scholarship with the presence[15] of G. Babu Rao,[16] CBCNC[15] in Secunderabad and Gnana Robinson, CSI in Bangalore.

Following that, when Sugandhar took over the mantle in 1993, Woman priests continued to be ordained and he supported its cause and stood by societies which promoted it, especially the Association of Theologically Trained Women in India in which Sugandhar also delivered a talk on the role of Women priest during one of its regional plenaries held at Jeevan Jyothi Formation Centre in Begumpet during the term of its secretary, Florence Deenadayalan, CSI,[27] Treasurer, Johanna Rose Ratnavathi, AELC[27] and its president, Navamani Elia Peter, MCI.

It was during his seminary studies at the UTC, Bangalore that Sugandhar came across co-students from other Church backgrounds that included not only the Protestant, Orthodox and Indigenous traditions, but also the Catholic (Latin rite) when the Franciscan Friar J.

A. G. Gerwin van Leeuwen,[36] OFM also began studying at the UTC, Bangalore during 1966–1968,[34] which later enabled Sugandhar to relate to other Churches within Christianity and also participate[14] in a Pontifical council in 2000.

In 1968, Sugandhar completed his ministerial formation period and subsequently in the year 1969, the Senate of Serampore College (University), then led by Registrar C. Devasahayam, CBCNC, awarded the degree of Bachelor of Divinity during its annual convocation.

In the XXX Synod held in Mysore[41] in 2006,[41] hosted by the Karnataka Southern Diocese, he was re-elected as the Moderator while his deputy, S. Vasantha Kumar retained his place.

[45] As a member of the Church of South India, Sugandhar as bishop-in-Medak, participated in the decennial Lambeth Conferences held in England in 1998 and 2008, presided by then Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey and Rowan Williams respectively.