Kottayam > Bishop Franco Mulakkal, has been sent to judicial custody till October 6 and will be lodged in Pala sub-jail amid mounting public outrage over allegations of repeatedly raping and sexually assaulting a nun. The Jalandhar bishop was arrested by Kerala police after intense interrogation on September 21.
The Vatican has relieved him 'temporarily' of all pastoral responsibilities as the bishop of the Jalandhar diocese of the Missionaries of Jesus congregation to which the alleged victim also belongs. The nun had accused the 54-year old clergyman of repeatedly raping and having unnatural sex with her between 2014 and 2016.
According to Kottayam district police chief Hari Sankar, the bishop has been slapped with charges, including rape, illegal confinement, unnatural sex and intimidation. There were evidences to arrive at a reasonable suspicion that the clerygyman had committed the crime, he said. During the interrogation, the accused was given reasonable time to narrate his version to the investigating team, he said.
