Supreme Court of India
The Supreme Court on Monday cancelled the interim protection from arrest granted to two clergymen, accused of sexually abusing a married woman. The court also asked the two accused to surrender by August 13. The court had previously asked the state police to file a status report on the probe done so far into the sexual abuse case, involving four priests attached to the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church.
A bench of Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan said the two priests were at liberty to seek regular bail once they surrendered.
The counsel for victim alleged that some videos were uploaded by the accused on the Internet and they used the same to blackmail her.
Four priests attached to the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church were accused of sexually abusing a 34-year-old married woman by using her confessional statement.
The two priests were granted protection from arrest by the apex court on July 19, till it announced a verdict on their anticipatory bail pleas.
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 clergymen had then sought anticipatory bail in the case and had moved the apex court after their plea was rejected by the Kerala High Court on July 11.
The Crime Branch of the Kerala Police had on July 2 registered a case against the four priests on the basis of a statement given by the woman belonging to the same church, who accused them of sexually assaulting her on many occasions.
