The Kerala nun rape case: Decoding the verdict

The TLDR: On Friday, former bishop Franco Mulakkal was acquitted on charges of repeatedly raping a nun. The history of the case reveals the rot inside the Catholic Church in India—while the ruling exposes the deep-seated misogyny of our male judges.

Researched by: Sara Varghese & Ankita Ghosh 

First, a quick timeline of the case

• In June, 2018, a senior nun files an FIR in Kerala alleging that Franco Mulakkal—then the bishop of the Jalandhar diocese—has raped her at least 13 times between 2014 and 2016. The allegations included being forced to perform “unnatural sex”—which is legal code for anal or oral intercourse.
• Point to note: she’s already spent over a month filing complaints with Church leaders—including Cardinal Mar George Alancherry, the senior most Catholic priest of the country, and the Vatican envoy to India—but to no avail.
• Mulakkal alleges that the rape allegation was fabricated—and part of a conspiracy to bring him down. 
• He also claims that the accuser was motivated by revenge. In 2016, her cousin filed a complaint with the Church alleging that she was having an illicit affair with the cousin’s husband. Mulakkal stripped her of all senior responsibilities in response.
• The accuser draws the support of a group of nuns who launch a hunger strike demanding the arrest of the bishop. Their order—Missionaries of Jesus—instead orders a probe into the six nuns—including the accuser.
• Point to note: This is the first time that Catholic nuns in India have flouted their holy vows to defy the Church.
• Mulakkal is stripped of his pastoral duties in September, 2018—and arrested soon after. But he also receives bail within a month.
• Adding to the twists and turns: One of the key prosecution witnesses, Father Kuriakose is found dead in Mulakkal’s diocese in Jalandhar in October—raising questions of foul play. According to Kuriakose, many nuns had complained about Mulakkal.
• The trial finally begins in September, 2020—after months of Mulakkal doing his best to get the charges dismissed, including moving the Supreme Court.
• It concludes on January 10, 2022, and the ruling was pronounced on Friday, January 14.

Quote to note: The case revealed the ugly misogyny of leading members of the Catholic community in Kerala, including MLA PC George who declared in 2018: 

“Is there any doubt that the nun is a prostitute? Twelve times it was pleasure, 13th time it became a rape? Where was she when it happened 12 times? Whom is she telling this to? Why did she not complain on the first time it happened?… Let the three sisters be examined. Let us see if they are holy.”

Next, the ruling

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