As the additional district court at Kottayam in Kerala is slated to take up his discharge petition in the nun rape case on Saturday, a fresh charge has surfaced against deposed bishop of Jalandhar Franco Mulakkal.

One of the witnesses (witness No 14), who is also a nun, gave a statement to the police saying that she was also subjected to sexual harassment at the hands of Mulakkal. In the statement, the nun alleged she was forced to show her private parts and bishop often used to make video calls and stripped himself before her. The statement was given last year, but the police did not file a separate case against him after the 36-year-old nun insisted that she was not willing to pursue her charges, said a senior police officer who supervised the probe.

Her detailed statement was leaked to the media by ‘Save our Sister Forum,’ an outfit fighting for reforms in the church. In the statement, she said some other nuns had also undergone the same plight but they were scared to speak against the powerful bishop. The nun said the incidents took place in 2015 after she was summoned to discuss some important issues.

“I felt aversion to it as it was hurting my self-esteem. But he (Mulakkal) continued to talk utter obscene things. Later, he started video chats describing his body and mine too. I was not interested in sexting, but did not have the courage to oppose him as he headed our congregation,” she said in her statement given to the special investigation team (SIT).

When the case was registered against Mulakkal, there were serious allegations that only nuns and priests who supported him were allowed to give statements to the SIT. Later, some of the witnesses also alleged that they were threatened and intimidated by people close to Mulakkal.

In June 2018, the 43-year-old nun, also a mother superior, had complained to the police in Kottyam that Mulakkal had raped her several times between 2014 and 2016. The nun is a member of the Missionaries of Jesus congregation based in Punjab. But Mulakkal denied her charges saying he was framed after he took action against her for financial irregularities in the convent. Later, the SIT arrested him after several rounds of questioning. After spending 40 days in jail, he was granted bail. Later, he was removed from the post of bishop.

The SIT had filed the chargesheet against Mulakkal last year. There were allegations that the accused played different tactics to delay the trial. It was supposed to commence on November 11 last year but it was adjourned to November 30. Later, it was deferred to January 6 after he sought more time. Mulakkal then filed a discharge petition seeking to quash charges against him saying he was implicated wrongly in the case.

Mulakkal’s supporters said it was part of a big conspiracy to leak “so-called statements.” “His discharge plea is coming up before the court on Saturday and timing of the leak is mysterious. This was a ploy to implicate him in more cases,” said Indian Catholic Forum leader Binu Chacko. Five nuns, who sat on a fast in Kochi two years ago, seeking Mulakkal’s arrest, were not available for comments.