Former bishop sent to two-day police custody
THIRUVANANTHPURAM: The judicial first class magistrate’s court in Pala on Saturday remanded the former Bishop of Jalandhar, Franco Mulakkal, accused of raping a nun, to police custody for two days. Mulakkal was arrested by the Kerala police on Friday nearly three months after the nun lodged the complaint.
The bishop, who has dismissed the allegations, was arrested after three days of questioning, and was soon admitted to a hospital after he complained of “uneasiness” — a standard ploy among many people arrested so as to avoid custody.
On Saturday, though, he was discharged from the hospital after doctors said he was not suffering from any major ailment.
Mulakkal, accused of raping the nun 13 times between 2014 and 2016, was relieved of his church duties by the Pope’s Ambassador on Thursday.
In court, the police sought Mulakkal’s custody for three days but his lawyer opposed this, saying he had already been questioned for eight hours in Jalandhar and three consecutive days in Kerala, and sought his bail.
The police counsel countered the bail request, and said Mulakkal’s custody is required as they need him to collect evidence against him and to undergo several tests, including a so-called potency examination. The court accepted the condition and agreed to a two-day remand.
The accused also complained that the police had forcibly taken his blood and saliva samples.
Mulakkal was charged under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural offence) and 560 (1) (criminal intimidation). Prosecution said that there are 81 witnesses in the case and the number may go up.
Mulakkal’s petition for bail is due for hearing in the Kerala high court on September 25.
Police officers who asked not to be identified said their investigations have unearthed the picture of “a habitual offender and predator”, and that separate FIRS will be filed against him if other victims file complaints.
Most complaints of this nature are usually sent first to church authorities. In this particular case, the church chose to ignore the nun’s complaint. In her letter to the Pope’s Ambassador last week, the nun, a mother superior, alleged that 20 nuns had left the Missionaries of Jesus congregation after the former bishop’s advances. Mulakkal has denied the charges.
Meanwhile, five nuns protesting in Kochi for two weeks formally ended their stir Saturday.
“The church was not with us but the Lord never let us down. Out struggle was not against any person but against corrupt practices. We are really grateful the people of Kerala stood with us,” said Sister Anupama, who led the stir. She said that if the church authorities take any action against them for their protest, they will hit the streets again, adding that the arrest of Mulakkal will give a strong signal to others who exploit nuns.