Kerala Church Sex Scandal: SC asks Kerala Police to submit status report on investigation

The Supreme Court today directed the State Police to file a status report on the investigation into the alleged Kerala church sex scandal involving four priests. The report has to be filed within two weeks..While the Bench of Justice AK Sikri and Justice Ashok Bhushan has directed the Kerala Police to furnish a status report, no interim order vis-à-vis arrest was passed..The accused in the case, however, will remain free from arrest based on the undertaking that the Kerala government had given earlier..The Court will hear the matter next on August 6..The accused, belonging to the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, had approached the Supreme Court after the Kerala High Court turned down their application for anticipatory bail. The priests have been accused of offences punishable under Sections 376, 354, 354A, 506(i) of the IPC..The victim is a married woman while the accused are clergymen of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. The husband of the victim approached the Bishop of the Marthomma Church and submitted a complaint wherein allegations of gross sexual impropriety were alleged against a number of priests of the Church..After the matter was leaked to the media, a political leader brought it to the attention of the State Police Chief. Following a preliminary inquiry, a report submitted to the State Police Chief found that a cognizable offence was made out, warranting the registration of a crime..In terms of the directions issued by the Supreme Court, the victim was produced before the Magistrate and her statement was recorded under Section 164 of the CrPC. In the said statement, the victim submitted that she had been blackmailed into having sexual relations with the accused priests..To the contrary, the accused have contended that it is only the husband’s version that the survivor was raped. Further, it has been contended that assuming without accepting that the allegations are true, no case of rape is made out since the sexual relationship was consensual..The Court had earlier reserved its order in the application before them on July 19 after an in-camera hearing. Arguments in the case were made by Senior Advocates R Basant and Thomas P Joseph, and advocates A Karthik and Resmitha R Chandran for the appellant-accused. Senior Counsel V Giri represented the State of Kerala.