Bishop Franco Case: Why the Kottayam Court's Judgment Is Problematic

Bishop Franco acquitted in rape case: Verdict raises concerns | The Big Story

More than three years after the Catholic Church was rocked by rape allegations, in a shock judgment on 14 January, the Additional District and Sessions Court in Kottayam acquitted Bishop Franco Mulakkal of rape charges filed against him by a nun.

In a 289-page verdict, Additional Sessions Judge G Gopakumar held the victim’s statement as “inconsistent” and that the “prosecution has failed to give proper explanation for the inconsistent version.”