KOCHI: The arrest of Jalandhar bishop Franco Mulakkal , accused by a nun of repeatedly raping her, was put off once again as investigators sought to “tie up loose ends” and wait for opinion of legal experts on the matter after questioning him for eight hours for the second consecutive day on Thursday.Pope Francis, meanwhile, has divested Mulakkal of his administrative powers as ‘Bishop of Jalandhar’, but allowed him to remain its titular head. “Having considered all circumstances, the Holy Father has accepted the request of Bishop Mulakkal (to relieve him of the powers),” the Catholic Bishops Conference of India said.The Pope appointed Rev Agnelo Rufino Gracias, 79, titular bishop of Molicunza and auxiliary bishop emeritus of Bombay, as apostolic administrator of the Jalandhar diocese. Top police sources said the sleuths have gathered key information, but want to verify it to build a foolproof case against the tainted bishop.Three separate police teams have been formed, who will crosscheck statements made by him during interrogation on Thursday by visiting certain places. The bishop has been summoned for questioning on Friday morning at 10.30 am.“The charge against the bishop is very serious — it’s rape. It is the bishop’s responsibility to convince us that he is innocent. We are giving the bishop enough opportunity to explain to us and convince us that he is innocent. If he is able to do so fine, otherwise we would take the necessary action,” said IG-Kochi range Vijay Sakhare. Mulakkal’s anticipatory bail plea is pending in Kerala high court, which sources said is another reason police are seeking legal opinion.“It is not a legal opinion on paper but a legal consultation to make ourselves clear. We are hoping to get the legal consultation by Friday morning,” Kottayam SP Hari Sankar said. The SP maintained that the decision to arrest the bishop would be taken after Friday’s questioning. “Arrest is something that needs to be decided after a holistic analysis and cannot be decided midway,” Hari Sankar said.The bishop arrived at the interrogation centre in Tripunithura at around 11.05 am accompanied by the PRO of Jalandhar diocese, Fr Peter Kavumpuram.