Bishop Franco Mulakkal Acquitted By Kerala Court In Nun Rape Case

Bishop Franco Mulakkal on Friday was acquitted by a special court in Kerala of charges of rape leveled against him by a nun from the Missionaries of Jesus convent in Kuravilangad.

The survivor had alleged that 58-year-old priest, who was a bishop in Jalandhar at the time, raped her around 13 times during his visits to the convent between 2014 and 2016.

The verdict, pronounced by Additional District and Sessions Court judge G. Gopakumar, concludes the trial three years after the nun filed her FIR against the Catholic priest in 2018.

The nun and other nuns who supported her were subjected to an enquiry by the Missionaries of Jesus. The group was also threatened but remained steadfast in their quest for justice.