Kochi: The Supreme Court has directed police not to arrest two priests accused of raping a housewife in Kerala until Thursday.

The court adjourned the hearing on the anticipatory bail petitions of prime accused Abraham Varghese and fourth accused Jaise K George to Thursday.

Counsels for the priests argued that the accused had consensual sexual relations with the woman whose allegations that the priests raped her could not be taken on its face value.

Two other priests had surrendered to Kerala police in connection with the alleged sexual abuse.

The housewife had accused the prime accused of raping her after offering false promise to marry her in 1999.