Kerala nun rape: Vatican dumps bishop Franco Mulakkal

KOCHI

: The arrest of

Jalandhar

bishop Franco Mulakkal, accused of rape by a nun, was put off once again as investigators sought to tie up loose ends and are awaiting expert legal opinion on the matter after questioning the

bishop

for around eight hours for the second consecutive day on Thursday. In a related and portentous development, the Vatican divested Mulakkal of his administrative powers as Bishop of Jalandhar, allowing him to remain its titular head.


Top police sources said that the investigation team has acquired key information but wants to verify it to build a foolproof case against the bishop. Three separate police teams have been formed, who will crosscheck statements made by the bishop during interrogation on Thursday by visiting certain places. The bishop has been summoned for questioning on Friday morning at 10.30 am.

“The charge against the bishop is very serious – it is rape. It is the bishop’s responsibility to convince us that he is innocent. We are giving the bishop enough opportunity to explain to us and convince us that he is innocent. If he is able to do so fine, otherwise we would take necessary action,” said Kochi Range IG Vijay Sakhare.

Investigators seek legal consultation

Mulakkal’s anticipatory bail plea is pending in

Kerala high court

, which sources said is another reason police are seeking legal opinion. "It is not a legal opinion on paper but a legal consultation to make ourselves clear. We are hoping to get the legal consultation by Friday morning,"

Kottayam

SP Hari Sankar said.

The SP, who maintained that there would be a decision after Friday's questioning, however refused to confirm whether there would be an arrest. "Arrest is something that needs to be decided after a holistic analysis and cannot be decided mid-way," Hari Sankar said.

The bishop arrived at the interrogation centre in Tripunithura at around 11.05 am accompanied by the PRO of Jalandhar diocese, Fr Peter Kavumpuram. Police presence at the venue was boosted due to a protest scheduled for Thursday evening and extra barricades were erected to avoid untoward incidents. The bishop left the interrogation centre at around 7 pm and is learnt to be staying at a five-star hotel in nearby

Maradu

.