The former bishop of Jalandhar Franco Mulakkal has denied the rape charges against him before the trial court at Kottayam district in Kerala.
It was as part of framing charges ahead of commencing trial that the court read out the charge-sheet. Franco said that the charges were baseless. The court posted the case for commencing trial from Sept 16 with an examination of the complainant nun.
The Supreme Court recently rejected Franco's discharge petition.
A nun of a convent at Kuravilangad in Kottayam district alleged that Franco sexually assaulted her 13 times between 2014 and 2016 at the convent. The police initiated a probe into the nun's petition after a group of nuns staged a demonstration that received much attention.
Franco was arrested on September 21, 2018, and later released on bail. He was charged under various sections of Indian Penal Code for rape, unnatural sex, illegal detention and criminal intimidation.
Last month the court cancelled Mulakkal's bail as he regularly failed to appear before the court. But Franco's lawyer later informed the court that he was tested Covid-19 positive. His bail was later renewed.
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