The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed deposed bishop Franco Mulakkal’s petition seeking discharge in the rape case filed against him by a nun in Kerala, Live Law reported. Mulakkal allegedly raped the nun multiple times between 2014 and 2016.
A top court bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde told Mulakkal that there was no merit in his petition, according to NDTV.
In his Supreme Court petition, Mulakkal repeated the claim that he had been falsely accused of rape by the nun after he raised questions about her financial dealings. Mulakkal told the top court that he wanted the accusations against him to be cleared as he was innocent.
The deposed bishop moved the Supreme Court after the Kerala High Court rejected his petition for discharge on July 7.
A week later, the Kottayam Additional District Court cancelled his bail and issued a non-bailable warrant against Mulakkal. The case was scheduled for hearing on July 1 but Mulakkal did not appear in court. His lawyer had claimed that he was in a coronavirus containment zone in Punjab’s Jalandhar district and could not make his court appearance because of restrictions.
The case against Mulakkal was filed in June 2018 after a nun in the Missionaries of Jesus congregation accused him of raping her. He was arrested in September 2018 and removed from his post.
In February this year, another nun who is a witness in the rape trial against Mulakkal alleged that he had made unwanted physical contact with her. In her statement, which is part of a chargesheet filed by the Kerala Police last year, the nun alleged that the incident took place in Mulakkal’s room at a convent.
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