A Kerala court on Friday acquitted Catholic Bishop Franco Mulakkal in the nun rape case. Kottayam Additional District Court Judge G. Gopakumar’s decision acquitted Franco. The hearing lasted for 105 days and 39 witnesses were examined and 122 documents were produced before the court.
Know when and what happened in the nun rape case
A complaint was filed against him in Kerala in June 2018 and Mulakkal was arrested on September 21, 2018 for rape. He was granted bail on October 16, 2018. The chargesheet names 83 witnesses, including the Cardinal of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Mar George Alenchery, three bishops, 11 priests and 22 nuns. Of the 83 witnesses, 39 were called and heard.
Mulakkal went to the Supreme Court to get the FIR quashed
Franco had approached the Kerala High Court and the Supreme Court to quash the FIR registered against him, but both the courts failed to do so and the trial began. Meanwhile, former Kottayam Police SP Harishankar, who oversaw the investigation, said he was confident that the verdict would be against the accused. The Public Prosecutor informed the media that an appeal would be filed.
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