Outrage as Bishop Aquitted in Nun Rape Case

2 years ago
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There are many attacks on Hindu Gurus. Many false cases, Lawfare attacks destroy the reputation and huge Sanghas, Sampradayas from Kanchi Shankaracharya, to Ram Rahim, Asaram Bapu, the SPH Nithyananda Paramashivam, the list goes on forever. Hindu Gurus are murdered and maligned without question. Sri Narendra Giriji, President of Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad left his body under questionable circumstances last September - it’s not even mentioned at all anymore.

Last month a judgement was issued in an alleged rape case involving a Bishop:
"A trial #court in #Kerala earlier last month acquitted #Franco #Mulakkal, the former Jalandhar #Bishop of the #Catholic #Church, of all charges in the alleged #rape of a #nun.
A former Kerala high court judge reportedly called the verdict "a clear case of miscarriage of justice", where within A local politician had reportedly described the nun as a "prostitute". The defendant’s lawyer told reporters that “the prosecution case was very weak and investigation very poor.”

Within two hours of the verdict, the nun reported she had received about 200 letters of support. In 24 hours, the numbers had exceeded 1,000.

The Judge’s order reportedly contains graphic descriptions of sexual acts and assault as narrated by the nun and the judge details a breast examination she underwent for reasons unclear, and she was also expelled from her #Convent.

Referring to a previous judgment delivered by the Supreme Court, the Judge in the case stated that “when it is not feasible to separate truth from falsehood, when grain and chaff are inextricably mixed up, the only available course is to discard the evidence in toto”.
The judge cited an “in-fight and rivalry and group fights of the nuns, and the desire for power, position and control over the congregation” as evident in confusing the case.

The high-profile case involving the influential Bishop Franco had led to an unprecedented public protest in Kerala more than three years ago by other nuns in support of the complainant, who vowed “We will continue this fight until the day our fellow sister gets justice, even if it means we have to die.”

The former #Kottayam district police chief under whose leadership the investigation was conducted, said, “We had fully expected a conviction. This verdict will be a surprise for the entire Indian legal system,” “it was after suffering huge psychological pressure that the survivor disclosed the assault to her fellow nuns” and that the verdict would “send a wrong message to society”.

The allegations against Mulakkal (57) came to light in June 2018 when a senior nun, belonging to the order of #Missionaries of #Jesus, submitted a complaint to the Kottayam police chief, accusing the bishop of raping her and subjecting her to unnatural sex 13 times between 2014 and 2016 at a convent in the district.

In September that year, a public square in front of the Kerala High Court premises in Kochi saw unprecedented scenes as five Catholic nuns, who were close to the complainant, sat on an indefinite hunger strike demanding the arrest of the #bishop.

On September 21, 2018, the police arrested Mulakkal and booked him on rape charges, in the first such action against a Catholic bishop in the country. Mulakkal was released on #bail nearly a month later.

Mulakkal faced many charges, including #wrongful #confinement, #unnatural #sex, rape of a woman incapable of giving consent and #criminal #intimidation.

While the Catholic church has been embroiled in a series of sexual abuse scandals around the world, Mulakkal was its first Indian priest to go on trial.
In February 2019, Pope Francis for the first time publicly acknowledged the sexual abuse of nuns by priests and bishops and promised to confront the problem."
#withthenuns #avalkoppam
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-60065287
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/kerala/kerala-nun-rape-case-franco-mulakkal-verdict-7722480/

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