Kerala church scandal: Supreme Court to hear anticipatory bail plea of priest on July 17

The high court had earlier dismissed his plea and ordered him to surrender forthwith.

A view of the Supreme Court of India building in New Delhi. File

The Supreme Court will hear on July 17 the anticipatory bail plea of Father Soni Abraham Varghese in connection with the sex scandal case involving four clergymen attached to the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in Kerala.

A Bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud agreed to hear the plea of the priest after he sought urgent hearing as he fears arrest in the case.

The crime branch on July 2 registered a case against Father Varghese and three other priests on the basis of statements given by a woman belonging to the same Church accusing them of sexually assaulting her on many occasions.

The high court had earlier dismissed his plea and ordered him to surrender forthwith.

The woman has alleged that all the four priests had misused her confessions to sexually exploit her.

The probe agency has already arrested two of the accused.