The Kottayam Additional District Court on Monday cancelled bail of Franco Mulakkal, deposed bishop of Jalandhar who is facing a rape case. The court has also issued a non-bailable warrant against him.
The case was earlier set for hearing on July 1. However, the accused was not present in the court, citing 'he was in coronavirus containment zone'.
On Monday, when the case was taken up again, Special Prosecutor deposed that the Jalandhar civil line was not part of any containment zone. The court, admitting the argument, cancelled the bail of Franco Mulakkal.
Before June 2, the trial court had taken up the case on June 10 after it resumed post relaxation of lockdown. The court then expressed serious reservation over the bishop's absence and asked him to appear before it on July 1.
The counsel for the bishop had then informed the court that he was not able to travel as there were no domestic flights from Jalandhar and he will have to undergo 14-day quarantine as per the government guidelines.
The case surfaced two years ago when a 43-year-old nun, also a mother superior, had complained to the police in Kottayam in central Kerala that Mulakkal had raped her several times between 2014 and 2016.
Comments
0 comment