Bishop remanded in judicial custody
Police say Mulakkal will be moved to the Pala sub-jail until October 6
The shocking case of an Indian bishop allegedly raping a nun 13 times took another turn for the worse for the Catholic Church on Monday, with a local court in Pala in Kottayam district directing that the bishop be remanded in judicial custody until October 6.
Franco Mulakkal, the bishop of Jalandhar in Punjab state, has allegedly raped a nun at a convent in Kuravilangad in Kottayam district in Kerala.
The bishop rejected the allegation, but after investigations stretching nearly three months, the Kerala police arrested him on Friday, and a local court sent him to police custody until Monday.
The magistrate court in Pala on Monday directed that the bishop be kept in judicial custody until October 6. Police said he will be moved to the Pala sub-jail.
The bishop still hopes the high court where he has submitted a bail application, will consider it favourably.
The magistrate court’s decision underscores the success of a gritty battle fought by a group of nuns who held a fortnight-long protest near the high court in Kochi, demanding the bishop’s arrest.
However, the Catholic Church maintained silence, opting not to suspend the bishop.