Kochi: The Kerala High Court has allowed anticipatory bail to a Christian priest, Father Manoj Plakootam, for raping a housewife in 2017. The court has set certain conditions while allowing bail for the accused priest who is absconding.
The court has ordered that Father Manoj Plakootam, who is absconding, must surrender before the investigating officer within ten days.
The priest, who belongs to the Syro Malabar Catholic Church, raped the woman at her home in Kozhikode. The woman had earlier said that the police was supporting Father Manoj Plakootam and trying to help him escape.
The woman had given a statement that the Bishop of the Thamarassery Diocese also tried to hush up the incident. The victim accuses the priest of raping her at her home in Kozhikode according to her complaint to the police.
She also says that she was forced into silence by the Church and the Bishop after the incident. This brought a delay in registering a complaint against Father Manoj Plakootam.
