Rape accused bishop applies for anticipatory bail in HC

Franco Mulakkal, the rape accused bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jalandhar, on Tuesday filed an application for anticipatory bail at the Kerala High Court. The bishop, accused of raping a Kottayam-based nun multiple times between 2014 and 2016, is set to appear before the police in Kottayam for questioning, on Wednesday.

The bishop stated in his application that the nun’s allegations were false and pointed out that the complainant, in her first statement to the police, had not mentioned rape. The court is set to hear the application at 1.45 pm on Tuesday.

The nun is a member of the Missionaries of Jesus (MJ) congregation. Other MJ sisters who came out in support of the complainant are leading a sit-in protest in Kochi since September 8. The agitation has since spread to other parts of the state, as calls for the bishop’s arrest get louder. The protesters and their supporters had earlier claimed that the bishop did not seek anticipatory bail because he was confident that he would not be arrested. Police in Kottayam are preparing a questionnaire ahead of the bishop’s interrogation, led by Vaikom DySP K Subhash.

The bishop has written to Pope Francis seeking permission to temporarily relinquish administrative responsibilities since he was preparing for a legal battle in connection with the rape case.

Last week, the High Court held that investigation in the case was on course. “...we are of the prima facie view that the investigation is being conducted in a fair and professional manner, and at this stage, it would be inappropriate for this Court, to issue any specific direction on the conduct of the investigation,” a division bench said in its September 13 order.