Kochi, Sep 19 (DC): The High Court on Tuesday posted the petition of Jalandhar bishop Franco Mulakkal for anticipatory bail for further hearing on September 25.

The single bench has issued a notice to the government in the matter and directed it to submit the same on the day. The court proceedings lasted only for a few minutes.

The counsel for the bishop facing charges of serial rape by a nun has not raised any request to prevent his arrest when he appears before the investigation team on Wednesday.

In the petition, he denied the allegations and said the case was concocted by the complainant to take revenge on him for taking action against her. The sister of the complainant on a hunger strike in Kochi demanding his arrest, however, refuted the claim.

The bishop is making a desperate attempt to justify himself by stating that they had personal enmity with him. "There was no reason for any personal enmity," she said.

"I hated him only after I came to know that he was involved in sexually assaulting my sister without any mercy," she said. Stating the complaint against the bishop “is nothing but a fictional story by the defacto complainant” his counsel said it originated following the disciplinary action against the nun, who headed the Missionaries of Jesus in Kerala and was in charge of St. Francis Mission Home Kuravilangad, on a complaint the superior general of the congregation received in 2016. After a series of investigations lasting for more than a year, the complainant was posted at St. Clare’s Mission Home Pariyaram near Kannur.

The complainant declined to accept the offer and firmly believed that the bishop was behind the action against her. She wanted to bring him down at any cost. The petition comprised mainly the victim blaming. It claims the nun and her family had threatened the bishop if he continued action against her. The petition also states that she “does not have a case that there was forceful sexual intercourse” in her first police complaint.