A group of Catholic nuns has spent the last week protesting outside a court in India over the lack of investigation into claims a senior bishop repeatedly raped a sister at a convent.

The nuns have staged their demonstration outside Kerala High Court in Kochi after the church where the accused bishop is based came out in support of the priest.

Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who is based at a church in Jalandhar, Punjab, is alleged to have raped the unnamed nun multiple times when visiting the state of Kerala for official business over the years.

The Missionaries of Jesus, Jalandhar, said it has conducted an internal inquiry into the matter and found that the bishop is innocent, saying on Thursday the allegations were “politically motivated” - implying that far-right Hindu and “rationalist” groups were to blame.

On Friday, a leaked picture showing the alleged victim, who is anonymous, with the bishop was circulated on social media and some TV channels.

Despite denying it was the source of the leak, Missionaries of Jesus did comment on the photograph, claiming the fact that the nun can be seen sitting in his company “was proof that she had not been sexually assaulted”.