Kerala HC grants anticipatory bail to Catholic priest

The Kerala High Court on Friday granted anticipatory bail to a Catholic priest, accused of sexually assaulting a woman in Kozhikode in 2017. Granting the relief to accused priest Manoj Plakootam, the Court directed him to be present before the Investigating Officer within 10 days. 

The case is being probed by police at Chevayur on the basis of the complaint filed by the woman in December last year. In her complaint, the woman, a homemaker, alleged that Manoj, who was the priest in a church at Chevayur, sexually assaulted her in 2017. She had initially complained to the church authorities, seeking justice. She later lodged a complaint with police after the church authorities allegedly ignored her complaint.