Kottayam (Kerala), Nov 30 (IANS): A court near here on Saturday extended the bail of former Jalandhar bishop Franco Mulakkal, accused of sexually assaulting a nun between 2014 and 2016, till January 6.
Franco was present in the additional sessions court during the hearing, where he arrived after praying in a nearby church.
Mulakkal was arrested on September 21, 2018 on rape charges and got bail on October 16, 2018.
The Kerala Police has already filed a 1,400-page chargesheet in the court against him.
The trial is expected to start from January 6.
The chargesheet names 83 witnesses, including the Cardinal of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Mar George Alencherry, three bishops, 11 priests and many nuns.
After the case came to light, Mulakkal was removed as head of the diocese of Jalandhar.