Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mullackal has denied all the allegations
A priest from Jalandhar, accused in the rape case of a Kerala nun, has found support from Missionaries Of Jesus, a congregation that she is part of.
Calling the Roman Catholic priest an "innocent", the congregation has condemned the protest by five nuns, who took to streets in Ernakulam in support of the rape survivor. "We do not want to crucify an innocent based on the sexual abuse allegation raised by one of our sisters, followed by the false allegations made the the sisters who are protesting along with her," a statement said.
The group of nuns have been protesting in solidarity with a nun, who has alleged that she was sexually abused 13 times betweem 2014-2016 by Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mullackal. The six nuns live together in a convent hostel in rural Kottayam.
The congregation also questioned the allegations against the priest. "The nun had invited the Bishop for a family function... The nun even helped and co-ordinated his programmes across Kerala till 2016...Even a small child will know that this is not possible if a persona has been forcefully violated," the statement said.
The Bishop has denied all the allegations.
Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court has asked the police for details on the steps taken as part of the investigation into the rape case.
Responding to two pleas, the court asked the police to clarify if the Bishop was questioned and what steps had been taken after the police questioning. The court has also sought to ask the details of the provisions made for the protection of the nuns.
The case is likely to come up on September 13 for further hearing.