Kerala HC grants conditional bail to Bishop Franco

Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who was accused of raping a nun, has been granted conditional bail by the top court of the state –the Kerala High Court.

As per the bail conditions, the Bishop has to appear before the investigative officer of the case every fortnight and should not enter the state for any other purpose other than appearing before the investigative officer.

It seems that the bail has been granted as the court has been convinced by the accused person’s lawyers that the bishop poses no threat to the victim and he is no longer in a position powerful enough to influence the nun as he has been removed from the Jaladhar Bishop post due to the case.

Last time, when the bail application was presented, the court denied it accepting the argument raised by the prosecution that the investigators were in the process of collecting the statements of the witnesses of the case and if the bail was granted to the Bishop he could tamper with the process.

This time, the lawyers presented for the Bishop have brilliantly defeated that argument pointing out that the main statement of the case -the statement of the nun- has been already taken under section 164 of CrPC.

Vignesh. S. G

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