Case to be filed against Missionaries of Jesus for revealing nun's identity

A case will be registered against Missionaries of Jesus under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 228A (disclosure of the identity of the victim of certain offenses including rape) for publishing the photo of the victim nun.

Missionaries of Jesus, a Church in Jalandhar published the photograph of the victim nun, who accused, Bishop of Jalandhar, Franco Mulakkal, of rape in their press release on Friday morning. In their press releases, it shared a photograph of the victim along with the accused Bishop. The photograph dating back to May 2015 was of a private function where the victim nun and accused Bishop can be seen sitting alongside among a group of people.

The photograph was shared by Missionaries of Jesus with intent to back their conspiracy accusations. In the press statement, it also alleged cordial relation between the victim and the accused, by claiming that they travelled together for over 20 times between 2014-16.

The statement claimed, "Any woman, who was raped by a man, would never attend functions or travel with the offender. For every rape victim, meeting the offender after the incident is like dying. How the nun and the bishop could travel together over 20 times between 2014-16? This is a truth that cannot be denied."

Sharing details of the nun's accommodation, Missionaries of Jesus also claimed that the victim had shifted next to the room where she alleges to have been raped by the Bishop. "No rape victim will want to see the place where she was raped," the statement added.

The nun from Kerala had accused the 54-year-old Bishop of raping her on several occasions between 2014 and 2016.