Bishop Franco Mulakkal, accused of nun's rape acquitted by Kerala court

Bishop Franco Mulakkal, accused of raping a nun several times between 2014 and 2016, has been acquitted by a court in Kerala. Franco Mulakkal was the first Catholic bishop in India to be arrested for rape, based on a complaint of a nun. His advocate said that Franco Mulakkal had all through co-operated with the police and the court.“Daivathinu sthuthi (Praise the Lord!)” Mulakkal told reporters, before leaving the court premises. He broke down in court and embraced his lawyers when the verdict was announced. Mulakkal had been arrested in September, 2018 in connection with the complaint of a nun, who had alleged that Mulakkal had raped her 13 times at her Congregation’s mission house in Kottayam district, over a period of two years from May 5, 2014. 

He had been the first Indian Catholic bishop to be arrested in a rape case and was lodged in judicial custody for 25 days after his arrest in September, 2018.Tight security was deployed outside the Kottayam Additional Sessions Court on Friday morning, ahead of the pronouncement of the verdict in the high-profile case. The case is significant as it marks the first time a Catholic Bishop was arrested and booked on charges of rape and sexual harassment in India.Denying the rape allegations, the Bishop claimed that the story was ‘fabricated’ and in retaliation for taking action against her with regard to a complaint raised by a woman. Mulakkal faces a slew of charges including illegal confinement, sexual harassment through abuse of power, unnatural sex, rape and outraging the modesty of a woman. Vaikkom DySP K Subhash was the investigating officer.