Kerala nun rape case: Accused Franco Mulakkal, former Bishop Jalandhar, bail plea rejected by Kerala High Court

The accused former Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar, in Kerala nun rape case, filed a bail plea, which was rejected by the Kerala High Court on Wednesday. Former Bishop Franco Mulakkal, the Catholic bishop is accused of rape by a nun belonging to the same diocese in Jalandhar, Punjab.

The former Bishop is accused of raping a nun 13 times between 2014 and 2016, was arrested by the Kerala Police on Friday in Kottayam. According to the nun's complaint, she had alleged that Mulakkal raped her on 13 occasions over a period of 2 years between 2014 -16. The Bishop, however, refuted the allegations, terming them "baseless and concocted".

Accused Bishop Mulakkal had filed for anticipatory bail in Kerala High Court on Tuesday, which was rejected by the court to September 25.

The 46-year-old victim, a nun has also alleged that she had been receiving threats and offers for withdrawing case against the accused. The nun rape case came to light when the accused Bishop himself went to police to file a complaint against the victim and five others for threatening and blackmailing him.

Meanwhile, Mulakkal is the first Bishop across the country to be held on rape charges, who had been sent to police custody till October 6.

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