Kottiyoor rape survivor seeks permission from the Supreme Court to marry Robin Vadakkumchery

New Delhi: A rape survivor from Kottiyoor has petitioned the Supreme Court for permission to marry the accused Robin Vadakkumchery. The case will be heard by the court on Monday.

According to the survivor’s application, the request was submitted in accordance with her wishes.

She also requested that Vadakkumchery be granted bail for the marriage.

Previously, Vadakkumchery had petitioned the High Court to marry the survivor. HC, on the other hand, denied permission.

On February 12, 2019, the Thalassery court sentenced Robin Vadakkumchery to 20 years in prison and a fine of Rs 3 lakh after he was found guilty of raping and impregnating a minor girl in Kottiyoor. Despite the fact that the priest was sentenced to a total of 60 years in prison on various charges, he can serve all of them concurrently. The girl should receive Rs 1.5 lakh from the fine.

Robin Vadakkumchery, who had been expelled from the priesthood by the Vatican, was a parish vicar near Kannur and the manager of the Church-sponsored school where the victim, a Class 11 student, was enrolled.

The complaint was filed against the priest by a child welfare organization that works with school-aged children. Robin Vadakkumchery came under fire after his daughter gave birth on February 7, 2017.

On February 27, 2017, Robin Vadakkumchery was apprehended near Kochi International Airport as he prepared to flee the country. He was charged with sexual offenses against children under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO).

During the trial, both the victim and her mother became hostile. However, the court issued its decision based on the evidence. Four nuns, another priest, and one more woman associated with the convent, who were all named as co-accused on the police charge sheet, were all acquitted due to a lack of sufficient evidence.

Officials from the Manthavady (Wayanad district) diocese announced in March that the Vatican had removed Robin Vadakkumchery from the priesthood. The papers pertaining to the Pope’s decision, made on December 5, 2019, were handed over to the imprisoned priest.