The Supreme Court came under spotlight after it temporarily suspended the life sentence of Father Edwin Pigarez, a Roman Catholic priest convicted of raping a minor girl. The bench, consisting of Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran, granted bail to Pigarez while his appeals against the High Court’s conviction ruling are still pending.
In this report, we look at ten judicial verdicts from 2021 to 2025 involving individuals associated with Christian institutions in India, who were accused in cases of abuse and murder – instances where higher courts have intervened in the decisions of lower courts, resulting in acquittals, sentence reductions, bail grants, or suspension of sentences.
#1 Supreme Court Suspends Sentence of Priest in Minor Rape Case
On 17 September 2025, the Supreme Court suspended the life sentence and granted bail to Father Edwin Pigarez, a Catholic priest convicted of repeatedly raping a minor girl in Kerala between 2014 and 2015. The Kerala High Court had earlier upheld the conviction but reduced the sentence from life imprisonment to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment. The Supreme Court’s decision to grant bail pending his appeal was based on the fact that the accused had already served nearly ten years in custody, which constituted half of the reduced sentence imposed by the High Court.
#2 Pune Court Discharges Bishop in Sexual Abuse Case
On 8 August 2025, an Additional Sessions Court in Pune discharged Bishop Thomas Dabre in a high-profile sexual abuse case. The case involved the sexual abuse of a 15-year-old boy by Father Vincent Pereira in 2018. The court absolved Bishop Dabre of criminal responsibility, stating that there was no evidence he had failed to report the abuse. The judgment noted that the Bishop had, in fact, advised the victim’s family to approach the police and had reported the matter to the appropriate church authorities, leading to his discharge.
#3 Kerala High Court Acquits Pastor in POCSO Case
On 18 July 2025, the Kerala High Court acquitted Pastor Shibu, who had been convicted by a trial court for the aggravated penetrative sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl in 2014. The trial court had sentenced him to double life imprisonment. However, the High Court set aside the conviction, ruling the victim’s testimony as “highly improbable and unbelievable” due to inconsistencies with the medical evidence presented during the trial. The acquittal overturned the lower court’s verdict entirely.
#4 Allahabad High Court Stays Arrest of Teacher in Conversion Case
On 30 May 2024, the Allahabad High Court stayed the arrest of a schoolteacher, Miss Olive Rohit alias Olive Rose Caleb, accused of forcing a male student to convert to Christianity and pressuring him into a sexual relationship. An FIR was lodged under the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act and the POCSO Act. The court’s decision to grant a stay on arrest followed a school inquiry that suggested the student’s allegations might be fabricated, and it ordered a cyber cell investigation before any coercive action could be taken.
#5 Kerala High Court Reduces Sentence for Priest in Sexual Assault
On 7 February 2024, the Kerala High Court reduced the sentence of Father Edwin Figarez for the sexual assault of a minor girl. The priest was originally sentenced to double life imprisonment by a POCSO court in 2016. The High Court reduced the sentence to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment without remission, deeming it sufficient and proportional. The court also fully acquitted the priest’s brother, Silvester Figarez, who was accused of helping him hide, due to a lack of conclusive evidence.
#6 Supreme Court Grants Bail in Pune Murder Case After 11 Years
On 25 September 2023, the Supreme Court suspended the life sentence and granted bail to Dinesh alias Paul Daniel Khajekar, who was convicted for the 2011 murder of Tanmay Ashok More in Pune. The bench noted that the accused had already spent over eleven years in jail and that his appeal had been pending before the Bombay High Court for six years. The suspension of sentence was granted pending the final hearing of his long-delayed appeal.
#7 Bishop Franco Mulakkal Acquitted in Nun Rape Case
On 14 January 2022, the Kottayam Additional District and Sessions Court acquitted Bishop Franco Mulakkal of charges of repeatedly raping a 46-year-old nun between 2014 and 2016. Despite a extensive investigation involving 89 witnesses, the court found the prosecution’s evidence inconsistent and unreliable. The judgment stated that there were no credible witnesses and that the medical reports were disputed, leading to insufficient proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, resulting in the bishop’s acquittal.
#8 Priest and 18 Others Acquitted in 2002 Factional Murder
On 24 April 2023, a Special CBI Court in Kochi acquitted Father Varghese Thekkekakkara and eighteen others in the brutal 2002 murder of T.M. Varghese. The murder was rooted in a long-standing property dispute between two factions of the Malankara Orthodox Church. After a trial lasting nearly two decades, the court presided over by Judge Anil K. Baskar acquitted all accused due to a lack of sufficient and conclusive evidence to prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
#9 Kerala HC Suspends Life Terms in Sister Abhaya Murder Case
On 23 June 2022, the Kerala High Court suspended the life sentences of Father Thomas Kottoor and nun Sister Sephy, convicted for the 1992 murder of Sister Abhaya. The division bench granted them interim bail pending their appeal, observing that the conviction by the CBI Special Court was based on insufficient and unreliable evidence. The court specifically pointed to weaknesses in crucial witness testimonies that formed the basis of the lower court’s verdict.
#10 Kerala High Court Reduces Sentence in Kottiyoor Priest Rape Case
On 1 December 2021, the Kerala High Court reduced the sentence of Father Robin Vadakkumcheril, convicted for sexually assaulting a minor girl who subsequently gave birth in 2017. The Special POCSO Court had initially sentenced him to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment. The High Court reduced the sentence to 10 years, ruling that the priest was not in a “position of trust or authority” over the victim, which led to a lesser charge and a consequently reduced sentence.
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