Lack of evidence forces Indian court to acquit Bishop Franco Mulakkal in nun rape case

An Indian court in the state of Kerala acquitted Roman Catholic Bishop Franco Mulakkal of the charges of raping a nun in a convent on Friday, citing lack of evidence.

The Additional District and Sessions Court II acquitted the accused as the prosecution had failed to produce substantial evidence in the case.  

In the case, 57-year-old Mulakkal was accused of raping the nun several times during the visit to a convent in the southern state.  

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The alleged incident happened when he was the Bishop of the Jalandhar diocese of the Roman Catholic church.  

In June 2018, a rape case was registered by police against the Bishop in Kottayam district after much furore.  

In the complaint to the police, the nun alleged that she was subjected to sexual abuse by Mulakkal from 2014 to 2016.  

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The Bishop was arrested in September 2018 by the Special Investigation Team, which probed the case. He was charged with rape, unnatural sex, wrongful confinement and criminal intimidation.  

In November 2019, the trial had started in the case. It got concluded on January 10.  

The print and electronic media were also restrained from publishing any matter relating to the trial by the court without its permission.   

(With inputs from agencies)