The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea to review its earlier order refusing to discharge former Jalandhar bishop Franco Mulakkal accused of raping a subordinate nun.
“We have perused the review petition and the connected papers. We do not find any error in the order impugned, much less an apparent error on the face of the record, so as to call for its review. The review petition is, accordingly, dismissed,” a three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde recorded in a short order on November 3.
The same Bench, also comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian, had dismissed Mr. Mulakkal’s original plea seeking discharge from the criminal case on August 5.
In August, Chief Justice Bobde had reacted to the insistent submissions made by senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi on behalf of the bishop by asking whether the latter was trying to exercise his spiritual power over the court.
“There is no case of discharge in your favour.We are dismissing your case,” Chief Justice Bobde had told Mr. Rohatgi then.
