KOCHI: Franco Mulakkal, the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jalandhar an accused of raping a nun on Tuesday submitted before the Kerala High Court that the victim does not have a case in her first statement that there was forceful sexual intercourse. Later, the victim in her statement under 164 of CrPC claimed that there was also forced sex, stated in the anticipatory bail plea by Franco Mulakkal. The High Court will consider the bail plea on Tuesday at 1.45pm.
According to Mulakkal, the conspicuous silence of more than by the 44-year-old victim clearly reveals the allegations were false. The victim was not an ordinary nun as she held the highest post in the congregations as the superior general for nine years. The allegations made by the victim was wholly concocted and cooked up only to wreak vengeance for the actions taken by him against her.
The allegation was that on May 5, 2014, and on May 6, 2016, the victim was raped by the Bishop 15 times in the room attached to St Francis Mission Home, Kuruvilangad.
The bail plea stated that the victim was the superior general of the Missionaries of Jesus from the year 2004 to 2013. She was assigned as the mother superior and was posted at St Francis Mission Home, Kuruvilnagadu and was also Kerala in charge till 2017.
The Bishop said that in November 2016, a lady approached the Superior General at Jalandhar and orally complained that the victim was having an illicit affair with a husband with her husband and the lady wanted the congregation to take action against the victim. Later the lady sent a detailed email with attachments to the superior general narrating the entire incident. The lady also handed over the copies of chat messages and also a photograph of the victim sister, which was all retrieved from the lady's husband's phone. Based on the complaint an inquiry conducted and the victim was removed from her post of the Kerala in-charge. Expressing bitterness, the victim preferred an application for a dispensation from religious vows and later it was cancelled.
According to the Bishop, the victim sister was still disgruntled and started creating lots of issues at the mission home at Kuruvilangad. Unable to manage the issues created by the victim and other sisters, Sr Tincy, who replaced the victim sister's position as the mother superior, filed a complaint to the superior general. An inquiry conducted and the victim was transferred to St Clare's home, Pariyharam. However, the victim was not reported there till date.
Franco Mulakkal pointed out that the victim was under the firm belief that he was the one who was behind the actions taken against her. She was inimical and deleterious towards the applicant and wants to bring down the applicant at any cost. The victim and her family member warned the Bishop of dire consequences if he continues to take adverse actions against her. There were threats that he will be manhandled if he arrived in Kerala. A crime has been registered by the Kuruvilangad police for the alleged threat against the Bishop. It was only thereafter that the victim filed a false complaint against the Bishop, the petition stated.