Kerala nun rape case: HC dismisses bail plea of Franco Mulakkal

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 3: The Kerala High Court Wednesday rejected the application for bail filed by lawyers of Bishop Franco Mulakkal, the Catholic bishop accused of rape by a nun belonging to the same diocese in Jalandhar, Punjab.

The High court cited prima-facie evidence against the bishop in the case to deny him bail. It also accepted the prosecution's stand that giving the accused bail would hamper the course of the investigation.

On September 21, the police arrested Mulakkal after three days of intense questioning and almost three months after the first charges were filed in the case. On September 24, Mulakkal was remanded to police custody until October 6.

Mulakkal has repeatedly denied the charges and accused the nun of taking revenge on him for ordering an inquiry into a complaint against her. He filed a complaint against the complainant and five other nuns, accusing them of framing him. The bishop claimed that there were "several contradictions" in the evidence collected by the police.