New Delhi: The Supreme Court has asked the Kerala police to file a status report on the investigation against four clergymen accused of sexually abusing a married woman.
"What is happening in Kerala, priests are becoming accused in rape cases," said a bench of justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan.
The bench directed the state police to file a status report on the probe into the sexual abuse case, involving four priests attached to the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church.
It asked the counsel for Kerala police to file the status report within two weeks and posted the matter for August 6.
The two accused priests - Fr Sony Verghese and Fr Jaise K George - have been granted protection from arrest by the apex court till it pronounced a verdict on their anticipatory bail pleas.
On July 19, the apex court had said the protection from arrest granted to two clergymen would continue till it pronounced the verdict on their anticipatory bail.
The clergymen had moved the apex court seeking anticipatory bail in the case after their plea was rejected by the Kerala High Court on July 11.
Four priests attached to the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church are accused of sexually abusing a 34-year-old married woman by using her confessional statement.
The court was earlier informed that two of the accused had surrendered, while two were before the court seeking anticipatory bail in the case.
The Crime Branch wing of the Kerala police had on July 2 registered a case against Fr Varghese and three other priests on the basis of a statement given by the woman belonging to the same church accusing them of sexually assaulting her on many occasions.
Kottiyoor rape case
In another rape case of Kottiyoor in Kannur also involving a priest, the apex court on Thursday refused to stay the trial scheduled to start from August 1.
Two doctors and a hospital administrator, accused in the case, had moved the court seeking stay of a criminal trial against them.
The Supreme Court had on July 13 termed 'very serious' the charges in the Kottiyoor sex scandal, which involved the alleged rape of a minor by a Catholic priest. Fr Robin alias Mathew Vadakkumcherry, who was the vicar of the local church in Kottiyoor and the prime accused in the case was arrested on February 28, for sexually exploiting and impregnating the 16-year-old girl. The victim had given birth to a child at their hospital and was under their care.
The two doctors and the hospital administrator have been charged under the provisions of the POCSO Act for allegedly covering up the crime, not reporting it to the police after they had come in contact with the minor rape victim and destroying evidence.
The victim had given birth to a child at their hospital and was under their care.
The three accused Hyder Ali, a paediatrician, Sister Tessy Jose, a gynaecologist, and Sister Ancy Mathew of Christraj Hospital - had appealed against the decision of the Kerala High Court, which had said that a full-fledged trial was required in the case.
The Kerala government had opposed their plea and pointed out that the biological father of the victim was framed in the case.
It had said the accused were influential and powerful people, while the father of the victim, who belongs to a poor background, was framed.
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