A tribunal of religious, if not spiritual, men, whose decision can alter lives, disrupt, no, destroy, families, ruin young lives, create angst, pain, depression, hopelessness, sorrow, despair can be the job for three typically unqualified men known in JW land as the Judicial Committee.
My first judicial experience as a kid of 18 serving on the JC involved disfellowshipping an elderly sister for apostacy when she would not promise to quit frequenting a neighborhood Christian Science Reading Room for personal study.
My second big case involved a baptized 12 year old who allegedly stole a hot wheel from K-Mart. He admitted to nothing, answering every question with "I dunno" and was put on probation, the 60's equivalent of reproof.
In subsequent years, I "served" on committees judging accused adulterers, fornicators, thieves, gamblers, non-providers, taking up boxing, slanderers and yes, apostates, sitting also on so-called appeal committees as well.
The rules for disfellowshipping are not found in the so-called "Good Book," sometimes called the Bible. The Watchtower leaders make up the list of disfellowshipping offenses, judicial committee procedure, appeal and reinstatement procedure. The application of these rules is as variant as every snowflake. After reinstatement, a litany of man-made rules, enforced by self-righteous elders, can determine the restoration of congregation privileges.
Not very many men living have served on more of these JC's than me, not because I'm judgemental, but because I became a JW judge at such a young age, and in midlife made myself available as I so disliked harsh, unreasonable, vindictive, self-righteous decisions being made.
The big Watchtower lie is that it is the lack of repentance, not the act itself that leads to disfellowshipping.