Franco Mulakkal


Franco Mulakkal is an Indian prelate of the Catholic Church. He serves as the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jalandhar since 2013. He is the first bishop in Indian Catholic history to be arrested for being accused in a rape case. He has been charged for raping the nun and have been sentenced to life imprisonment.

Biography

Franco Mulakkal was born in Mattam, Thrissur, Kerala, India on 25 March 1964.
He was ordained for Priesthood at St.Thomas Forane Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Mattom, Thrissur, Kerala on 21 April 1990.
He was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Delhi and titular bishop of Chullu on 17 January 2009. He was consecrated a bishop on 21 February 2009. He was appointed bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Jalandhar on 13 June 2013 by Pope Francis. He also serves as the Secretary of the Regional Bishops Conference of North India and Consultor for the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

Sexual assault and arrest

In June 2018, a nun accused Mulakkal of rape and a complaint was filed with the Kerala Police under Section 164 of Code of Criminal Procedure. The nun in Kerala alleged that she was raped by Bishop Mulakkal 13 times between 2014 and 2016 during his visits to a convent in Kottayam district in Kerala. Three more women accused the bishop of sexual misconduct against them, but the congregation's superior general maintains that the bishop is innocent. On September 20, 2018, Pope Francis accepted Mulakkal's request for a leave of absence from both his role as Bishop and pastoral duties.
In September 2018 Kerala Police arrested Mulakkal for allegedly raping a nun multiple times between 2014 and 2016. The arrest was made in September 2018 in Kochi, India. He was interrogated by the Kerala Police for three days before arrest. Vijay Sakhare, inspector general of Kerala Police said "After our investigation, we have enough evidence that the bishop, prima facie, has committed the crime." A Kerala Judicial Magistrate extended his judicial custody in jail for 14 days until 20 October 2018. The Kerala High Court rejected Mulakkal's first application for bail, citing prima facie evidence in the case, and extended his stay his prison by 14 days. He was later formally charged in April 2019 with raping the nun nine times over a two year period and faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. 80 witnesses, including a cardinal, three bishops, 11 priests and 25 nuns, according to Indian Catholic group Save our Sisters, have issued statements against Mulakkal.