Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who has been accused of raping a Kerala based nun, has been granted bail on Monday. Bishop Franco Mulakkal’s bail application was earlier rejected by the Kerala High Court.
A Kerala based nun had accused the Catholic bishop of raping her at multiple occasion over the years.
Mulakkal was the first Catholic Bishop in the country who was arrested on rape charges. He was sent to police custody till October 6, after he was arrested following three days of interrogation in the last week of September. The arguments on his bail application had ended on Thursday with the verdict deferred till today.
Bishop Franco Mulakkal was taken in police custody for allegedly raping 44-year-old Kerala-based nun between 2014 to 2016. The victim had filed a complaint in June, alleging that she was sexually assaulted by the Jalandhar based Bishop, Mullakkal on several occasion.
Mulakkal had reportedly handed over the responsibilities to his deputy. German Catholic priest Franco Mulakkal had said, “I leave everything into the hand of God as I await the result of the findings of the team probing the allegation. In my absence, Msgr Matthew Kokkandam will administer the Diocese as is the normal practice when I am away from the diocese.”
The arrest of the accused bishop came after intense political pressure and a month-long protest in Kochi by five nuns seeking justice.
Also read: Kerala nun rape case: High Court rejects Bishop Mulakkal’s bail application