Kottayam: Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar will appear before a court in Kerala’s Kottayam on November 30 ahead of the start of the trial in the nun rape case.
The bishop will make his first appearance before the additional district court 1 where the trial will begin later after the completion of the initial procedures.
The bishop, who is accused of raping the former superior general of the Missionaries of Jesus multiple times, is on bail currently. The prelate’s counsel will file a petition seeking an extension of his bail. The case is likely to be adjourned after extending the bishop’s bail period, media reports say.
The crime that led to the case had happened in the congregation’s convent that falls under the Kuravilangad police station limits. Hence the Kuravilangad police had handed over the summons to the bishop in October.
The nun filed the case on June 27, 2018, with the Kottayam Police chief saying the bishop had sexually abused her from 2014 to 2016. The case came to light the next day when the police recorded the nun’s statement. If found guilty, the 55-year-old prelate could get life imprisonment or imprisonment of not less than 10 years. The trial was initially set to commence on November 11, but due to the unavailability of the judge, the hearing was shifted to November 30. The delay by 20 days put the survivor and the five nuns in distress. Courtesy: MattersIndia
