Kerala: The nun, who is one of the survivors in the Bishop Franco Mulakkal case, has chosen to petition the Kerala High Court to overturn the Kottayam Additional District and Sessions Court's decision acquitting Bishop Franco Mulakkal.

According to reports, the nun who was reportedly raped by Bishop Franco Mulakkal and the Kerala state government filed an appeal with the Kerala High Court on Wednesday, challenging the district court's acquittal of Bishop Franco Mulakkal in the rape case.

The state government said in their appeal that the survivor's testimony, which was corroborated by testimonies from multiple witnesses and documentary evidence, revealed the nun was exposed to unnatural offence and rape by Bishop Franco Mulakkal.

The nun was acting as the mother superior of St Francis Mission House, Kuravilangad, at the time of the sexual assault, and the accused Bishop Franco wielded power and influence over the home.

"Without properly recognising the prosecution's evidence, the trial court misinterpreted facts and law and granted the accused an unjustified acquittal, absolving him of all counts, including rape," the petition read. From May 5, 2014, to September 23, 2016, the survivor was allegedly raped 13 times in the guest room of St Francis Mission Home, according to the prosecution.

The Kerala government further claimed that the trial judge had a preconceived mind to acquit the accused without even looking at the facts presented by the prosecution. In their appeal, the state administration claimed that every effort was made to discredit the survivor by misapplying the facts.

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