The Kerala Nun Rape case is now taking many twists and turns. A local court in Kerala's Kottayam has directed the print and electronic media from printing any matter reciting to the trial in the claimed rape of a nun by Bishop Franco Mulakkal, without the permission of the court. Additional Sessions Judge Gopakumar G announced the order, containing the media from publishing any matter reporting to the trial and systems of the case, including conversations about the proof offered by the signatories, without the court's prior permission.
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The order was given on a petition by Mulakkal, seeking an in-camera trial, claiming that the prosecution had leaked to the media a part of the 161 Statement of a signatory before the preliminary start of the case and the media had started a review concerning to various features of it. The Judge said there was nothing on record to show that the lawyer had shared the 161 Statement (statement of the witness recorded by police) to the media. The statements of the witnesses are information falling within the public domain.
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Such statements have to be detected with the statement given by a victim. The court had planted charges against the arrested on August 18 this year and the trial of the case has started. Since an accusation of rape is concerned, the trial has to be administered in the camera, the court observed. The rape case against the Bishop was registered by police in Kottayam district. In her complaint to the police in June 2018, the nun had alleged that she was subjected to sexual abuse by the bishop between 2014 and 2016.
