Kerala nun rape case: Bishop Franco Mulakkal’s judicial custody extended by 14 days

Mulakkal, the first Bishop in the country to be arrested on rape charges, was arrested following three days of intense questioning in September. The police had said the investigation in the case was progressing even after the arrest of the accused.

In her complaint to the Kottayam Police in June, the nun had alleged that Bishop Mulakkal had raped her at a guest house in Kuravilangad in May, 2014 and subsequently, sexually exploited her on several occasions.

The rape survivor had alleged in her complaint that the bishop had sexually assaulted her 13 times over a period of two years from May 5, 2014. She belonged to the Missionaries of Jesus order of the Catholic Church. The arrest of the accused came after intense political pressure and a month-long protest in Kochi by five nuns of the order.

However, the bishop has denied the charges. Mulakkal’s lawyers had argued in the HC that the case against him is fabricated and is retaliatory in nature for the action he took against the nun on a separate complaint.