Indian bishop accused of repeatedly raping nun

The Vatican has temporarily relieved Franco Mulakkal of his duties

Bishop Franco Mulakkal, dressed in white, is escorted by police in Kochi, India (Reuters)

A Roman Catholic bishop has appeared in court in India after being arrested over allegations he raped a nun.

Franco Mulakkal, 54, is accused of repeatedly sexually abusing the 44 year-old woman at a convent in the southern state of Kerala between 2014 and 2016.

The case has attracted national attention since the nun filed her complaint to police in June. She claimed church authorities had failed to take action.

Earlier this month fellow nuns staged protests outside the high court in Kochi demanding the bishop's arrest.

On Thursday the Vatican agreed to allow Bishop Mulakkal to step down temporarily from his post in the diocese of Jalandhar in northern India.

He was arrested the following day and magistrates in Pala have remanded him in police custody until Monday.

Police are investigating charges of rape, illegal confinement, unnatural sex and intimidation, according to reports.

A judge will decide whether the bishop is formally charged.

Indian nuns and supporters demand the bishop's arrest during protests this month (AFP/Getty) (AFP/Getty Images)

According to the police complaint, the bishop first raped the nun at a guest house in Kuravilangad in May 2014 and assaulted her a further 12 times over the next two years.

The nun, who belongs to the Missionaries of Jesus order, has alleged in a letter to the Vatican's representative in New Delhi that the bishop was using "political and money power" to "bury" the case.

Bishop Mulakkal, who was ordained as a priest in 1990, has previously denied the allegations and claimed that the nun was angry because he ordered her to be disciplined.

Public concern over the number of sexual assaults in India has been growing since 2012, when a young woman was fatally gang-raped on a New Delhi bus.

The government has passed a series of laws increasing punishments and recently announced it is establishing a national register of sex offenders.

Additional reporting by Associated Press and Reuters