Rape accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal sent to judicial custody till October 6

Kottayam, Sep 24: A Kottayam court on Monday sent Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who has been accused of raping a nun, to judicial custody till October 6, days after his bail pleas was rejected. Mulakkal was sent to judicial custody by Pala Judicial Magistrate Court.

The Kerala High Court had on Saturday rejected the bail plea of the Bishop and sent him to two-day police custody, which ended today. The Kerala Police had filed for three days custody of former Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal on Saturday.

His lawyers had moved the application seeking relief, submitting that the clergyman was arrested after a three-day long interrogation by the probe team.

Mulakkal's medical check-up was done at the Government Taluk Hospital in Thrippunithura Friday night, immediately after his arrest.

Mulakkal was on Sunday taken to a guest house, where the rape accused Bishop is said to have committed the crime, by police for reconstruction of the crime scene. In its remand report submitted in the court, police had said the nun was subjected to rape and unnatural sex by the accused at the guest house of St Francis Mission Home 13 times between 2014 and 2016.

The nun had said she had to approach the police as church authorities did not act on her repeated complaints against the clergyman. However, the bishop has denied the charges.