Sr. Ranit Pallassery, an Indian nun, vows to appeal to India’s Supreme Court after her bishop’s rape acquittal, breaking years of public silence.
Newsroom (13/01/2026 Gaudium Press)Almost four years after a lower court acquitted Bishop Franco Mulakkal of rape, the Indian nun who brought the case forward has declared that her fight is far from over. In a televised interview aired January 10, 2026, Sr. Ranit Pallassery announced that she will pursue her case all the way to the Supreme Court of India, publicly identifying herself for the first time in the process.
“I have decided to see this case through the High Court and the Supreme Court. Until I get a verdict from the Supreme Court, I will not rest. I will continue to fight for my justice,” she told the Malayalam-language broadcaster Asianet News.
Pallassery’s decision marks a turning point in a case that has tested both India’s legal system and the internal response of the Catholic Church. Her choice to waive anonymity—an extraordinary step under Indian law, where survivors of sexual assault can legally remain unnamed—signals her desire to bring visibility to what she calls “an unfinished struggle.”
A Long and Lonely Legal Battle
Pallassery, formerly the superior general of the Missionaries of Jesus, first filed her legal complaint on June 27, 2018, alleging that Bishop Mulakkal raped and assaulted her on 13 separate occasions between 2014 and 2016. The assaults, she claimed, occurred at her congregation’s convent in Kuravilangad, Kerala.
The case ignited one of the most visible movements for accountability in India’s Catholic Church. In September 2018, five nuns staged an unprecedented public protest in Kochi, demanding Mulakkal’s arrest. The sit-in drew widespread attention and sparked international debate over institutional power and gender within Church structures. Days later, on September 21, police arrested the bishop following extended questioning.
Mulakkal—then serving as Bishop of Jalandhar in Punjab—became the first Catholic bishop in India ever charged with rape. He was accused of rape, wrongful confinement, unnatural offenses, and criminal intimidation. The accusations, which he has consistently denied, were followed by a lengthy trial process that ended in his acquittal on January 14, 2022.
In its 289-page judgment, the Additional District and Sessions Court in Kottayam concluded that the prosecution had failed to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Both the State of Kerala and Pallassery appealed the verdict soon after.
Public Silence and Private Costs
Pallassery told Asianet News that she came forward on television to challenge the perceived narrative that she had accepted the acquittal quietly. “I want people to know that we are still alive, we are still here… our struggle is still continuing,” she said.
During the interview, she also dismissed accusations that her case was financially motivated. “I have not received a single rupee from the diocese or from Franco,” she said, describing how she now supports herself through tailoring work at her convent. She emphasized that she intends to continue her vocation as a religious sister.
Her public decision to name herself also gives face and form to the group of women who risked everything to stand by her. Of the five nuns who protested in support of her, three have since left religious life, facing social ostracism and financial hardship.
One of them, Sr. Anupama Kelamangalathuveliyil, who had spearheaded the 2018 Kochi protest, left the Missionaries of Jesus in 2025 and now works for an IT company in her home village. Another, Sr. Lucy Kalappurackal, expelled from her congregation after joining the demonstrations, was enrolled as a lawyer in the Kerala High Court on January 10, 2026. “I hope I can be a voice and help those people and nuns who are denied justice,” she told reporters.
The Church’s Response and Broader Implications
In June 2023, amid ongoing appeals, Pope Francis accepted Mulakkal’s resignation as Bishop of Jalandhar “pro bono Ecclesiae”—for the good of the Church. The Vatican clarified that the resignation was not disciplinary and confirmed that Mulakkal retained the title of bishop emeritus and was free to continue ministry work.
The apostolic nunciature in India stated that it respected both the acquittal and the appeals process underway in Kerala. The status, it explained, did not imply canonical restrictions.
Mulakkal has not commented publicly on Pallassery’s new interview. Throughout the legal proceedings, he has consistently maintained his innocence.
Pallassery’s willingness to name herself will likely amplify public scrutiny of how the Church and Indian legal institutions handle cases of sexual abuse against clergy. Her decision comes as the Kerala High Court continues to hear appeals, which could now move toward the Supreme Court as she vowed.
For many observers—and for the few remaining sisters who stood in solidarity with her years ago—Sr. Ranit Pallassery’s defiance feels like both an act of courage and a reminder of what it costs to demand justice within structures resistant to change.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from The Pillar
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