Kochi, October 15: The Kerala High Court on Monday granted conditional bail to Franco Mulakkal, who was arrested on charges of raping a nun repeatedly between 2014 and 2016. The court asked Franco Mulakkal to surrender his passport and appear before the police every two weeks. One of the conditions of the bail is the rape accused will stay out of Kerala.

The high court had dismissed Mulakkal's bail plea on October 3 as Justice V Raja Vijayaraghavan observed that there was evidence against the bishop. He was arrested on September 21 after three days of questioning. Mulakkal, who used to head the Roman Catholic Diocese in Jalandhar, Punjab, was the first bishop in the country to be sent to jail on charges of rape.

Mulakkal was removed from the position of Bishop by Pope Francis on September 20. Earlier, a Kerala court extended the judicial custody of Mulakkal till October 20. An inquiry commission formed by the Missionaries of Jesus has given a clean chit to Franco Mulakkal. The inquiry commission said the nun who alleged rape conspired with others to defame Mulakkal.

A nun from Kerala has accused that she was raped by a 54-year-old priest on several occasions between 2014 and 2016. The nun has even appealed to the Vatican seeking justice. She also marked the plea to 21 other high ranking authorities of the Roman Catholic Church in India. An FIR was registered against the bishop, and a 114-page detailed statement was taken from the nun and other inmates of the convent.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 15, 2018 11:24 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).