Franco Mulakkal, this name has been quite famous these past days, and it is not for good reasons at all. Accused of raping a nun, Franco Mulakkal is the first Bishop in the country to be arrested on the charges of rape.
Denied Bail
The Bishop took his appeal to the Kerala High Court as he was denied bail in the lower courts. The bishop seems to be quite popular as various visitors who are VIP come to meet him. Some of them include Kanjirappally bishop Mar Mathew Arackal, Pala legislator KM Mani and auxiliary bishops Mar Jose Pulickal and Malankara Samuel Mar Irenios. He was denied bail on the fact that he could pressurize the victim to change her statement according to Section 164 of the CrPC in connection with the case.
The former Bishop of Jalandhar Franco Mulakkal is being held at the Pala sub-jail. The 44-year-old nun who accused the Bishop of raping her is currently living in isolation at Kuravilangad convent. The Bishop faces they accuse of raping the nun over a period of four years approximately 13 times. The nun is in absolute isolation.
No Supporters for the Nun
By looking at the scenario, we can conclude that none of the political or religious associates have visited the nun. The nun files a police report stating that the Bishop Franco Mulakkal rapes her as many as 13 times while confining her to a convent in Kuravilangad in between the years 2014 to 2016. She claims to confine to a room where the accident takes place.
A parish vicar visits the Missionaries of Jesus mission on Saturday. He is facing the charges of trying to influence the nuns who presume to be witnesses to the crimes of Bishop. The most bizarre event in the whole rape case must be the Bishop Mar Mathew Arackal’s statement. He refers to Franco Murakkal with Jesus.
The Bishop denies the allegation
The accused Bishop formerly headed the Roman Catholic Diocese in Jalandhar, Punjab right from 2013 leading to his arrest on September 21 this year. After arresting the Bishop, the police continues interrogation for three days. During the interrogation, he denied the allegations of rape and various other charges against him. Franco Mulakkal insisted that he did not stay in the Kuravilangad convent on May 5, 2014.
Allegations against the Bishop
Besides, he further claimed that he visited the convent at Kuravilangad, but stayed at a convent in Muthalakodam. Furthermore, the police then cross-checked the information with another nun. She makes entries of his visit in the register and his driver. The police found that the bishop and his driver truly stayed in the convent at Kuravilangad on the day.
However, another nun in the Muthalakodam convent stood to testify that the bishop did not visit the convent. Therefore, the police further enquires about it, the police collected his mobile tower data’s location. The revelation comes that he indeed stay at the night on May 5, 2014. While the police presented this evidence, the Bishop remained silent.