Rape case against Bishop Mulakkal: Victim thanks Kerala govt for appointing special prosecutor
Kottayam (Kerala) (PTI): The victim-nun in the rape case against former Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal on Saturday thanked the Kerala government and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for appointing a special public prosecutor to handle legal proceedings in the Kerala High Court.
On Friday, the chief minister’s office said advocate B G Harindranath had been appointed as special public prosecutor and that a notification in this regard would be issued soon.
Speaking to reporters at Kuravilangad here, the victim-nun said she came to know about the appointment through news reports.
“I express my gratitude to the government, the chief minister, the media and media persons. Several people in society also came out in support of us through a signature collection drive to speed up our request, and I thank them all,” she said.
She said a request had been made from their side to appoint Harindranath as the special public prosecutor.
The victim-nun also thanked the state government for issuing ration cards to her and the nuns who supported her cause.
She recently revealed that a request had been submitted to the government and that she later met the chief minister seeking the appointment of a special prosecutor.
Following the revelation, Law Minister P Rajeev said provisions for appointing a special prosecutor for a case pending before the Kerala High Court would be examined.
Mulakkal, who was acquitted by a trial court in 2022 in the nun rape case, later resigned as the Jalandhar Bishop.
The victim has challenged the trial court’s verdict before the Kerala High Court.
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Two held in UP's Bijnor for contact with Pakistan linked Dubai handler
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Bijnor (PTI): Two men were arrested in this Uttar Pradesh district on Friday for allegedly being in touch with a Pakistan-linked handler based in Dubai, police said.
Circle Officer, Najibabad, Anjani Kumar Chaturvedi said Uvaid Malik and Jalal Haider were arrested following inputs on their alleged links with Aqib, a resident of Meerut currently staying in Dubai.
According to police, Aqib had earlier come into the spotlight after a video surfaced on Instagram purportedly showing him displaying an AK-47 rifle and explosives.
During interrogation, the arrested men allegedly told police that Aqib used to incite youngsters against Hindus and encourage anti-national activities, the officer said, adding that detailed questioning of the accused is underway.
On April 6, Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Jha said the video first surfaced in November last year. Aqib, a native of Sathla village in the Mawana area of Meerut, was allegedly seen in the video brandishing weapons.
Following the viral clip, a case was registered at the Nangal police station by sub-inspector Vinod Kumar. However, the then station house officer and investigating officer Satyendra Singh had recorded Aqib's statement and filed a final report, stating that the weapons seen in the video were toys, effectively giving him a clean chit.
Police said fresh developments have now revealed Aqib's suspicious links and the probe has been handed over to the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS).
The SP said action has been taken against the officials concerned, with the then SHO and investigating officer suspended and Circle Officer Nitesh Pratap Singh removed from his post.
