Kerala High Court: Probe fair; arrest of bishop police discretion
KOCHI: Underlining that evidence collection is painstaking in a crime that happened some time ago, the Kerala High Court observed the arrest of Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal, an accused in sexually abusing a nun, was within the discretion of the probe officer.
The police have collected a number of evidence in the case and it shows they are beyond the reach of the accused in the case, the court said.
The state government made it clear before the court that a decision regarding the bishop’s arrest can be taken only after verifying the contradiction in the evidence collected so far.
The court issued the order on a plea filed by Kerala Catholic Church Reformation Movement executive committee member George Joseph K and Malayalavedi organisation president George Vattukulam, alleging delay in arresting the bishop.