India’s Supreme Court has dismissed a petition from Bishop Franco Mulakkal that sought to clear him of charges of raping a Catholic nun.
“There is no merit” in the case, said Chief Justice Sharad Aravind Bobde on Aug. 5 while dismissing the discharge plea of Bishop Mulakkal of Jalandhar Diocese.
Senior Supreme Court lawyer and former attorney general Mukul Rohatgi appeared for the bishop, but the chief justice dismissed the case without waiting for any detailed hearing, lawyers who witnessed the online proceedings said.
The proceedings in the Supreme Court were moved online after the Covid-19 pandemic began to spread in national capital New Delhi in March. Read more