On Wednesday, the Supreme Court dismissed a statement by former Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal, accused in the rape case of a nun, against an order from the Kerala High Court rejecting his discharge request in the case.
On July 7, the Superior Court had ruled that the bishop must face trial in the case after the prosecution has argued that there is ample evidence against him based on the FIR, as well as the secret statement provided by the victim.
Mulakkal moved to the higher court after a lower court in Kottayam canceled his bail because he failed to appear in court numerous times despite various warnings. The court had also issued a bail order against him.
Mulakkal, through his lawyer, had informed the court that he would not be able to appear in person as he was on the main contact list of a person who tested positive for coronavirus in Jalandhar in Punjab, where he is currently located. A day later, she tested positive for the virus.
Also on July 1, when the case was last presented for hearing, Mulakkal had excused himself saying that he was located in a containment zone and therefore could not travel to Kerala.
Mulakkal, who was given bail in 2018, is accused of raping a nun belonging to the order of the Missionaries of Jesus several times between 2014 and 2016 in a convent in the Kottayam district of Kerala.
The 56-year-old man was arrested after major protests in Kerala and spent almost 40 days in jail before receiving bail. While he claims the charges are fabricated, the rape victim and his colleagues in the order have stuck to his testimony.
There are also allegations that he, through the Church, was intimidating witnesses and pressuring others to change their testimonies.
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