Court reserves order on Cong MLA Rahul Mamkootathil’s bail plea, orders ‘no coercive action’
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 8 – A court in the city set off a bench on Monday to consider an anticipatory bail request filed by Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil in his second sexual‑assault case. While the decision is pending, the judge instructed the investigators to refrain from taking any coercive or serious measures against the accused until the final order is read on Wednesday.
This development comes as authorities have intensified both the legal and police response after the second charge sheet was lodged on a fresh rape allegation. The complainant has already supplied a comprehensive statement to the police, claiming she was sexually assaulted even after pleading for mercy and physically clinging to Rahul in an effort to escape. She says that repeated threats and persistent intimidation kept her from speaking out earlier.
Senior Superintendent Poonguzhali recorded her testimony, and both her statement and the digital evidence she provided have been formally submitted to the court. The new case builds on earlier accusations that Rahul, after courting the survivor with promises of marriage, lured her to a homestay and assaulted her there. She offered supporting evidence such as WhatsApp chats, voice messages and other electronic records.
The court’s permission for Rahul came after the High Court last week stayed his arrest in the first sexual‑assault case until the 15th of this month. His legal team maintains that the charge sheet is politically motivated and lacks credibility, whereas prosecutors argue that the seriousness of the accusations and the existence of corroborating digital evidence justify withholding pre‑arrest relief.
Meanwhile, police are still working to locate the Congress leader, who has been evading arrest since he went into hiding on 27 November. A new special task force has been set up after concerns were raised that details from the earlier search operation may have leaked. The initial team, which had conducted searches for more than a week, has returned from Karnataka, and the fresh squad is expected to resume its work shortly.
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