Kerala court denies bail to MLA Rahul Mamkootathil in third rape case
Pranav B Prem
The Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Thiruvalla, on Saturday (January 17) denied bail to Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, who is facing allegations of rape in a third complaint. The order was passed by Smt. Arundhathi Dileep. A detailed reasoning for the decision is yet to be made available. The Magistrate had conducted the hearing in-camera on Friday, allowing an application moved by Mamkootathil seeking such a course. After hearing the submissions, the court had reserved its decision, which was pronounced the following day.
Mamkootathil was taken into custody on Sunday (January 10) and remanded to judicial custody. Subsequently, on Tuesday, the court permitted the investigating agency’s request for police custody, granting custody of the MLA for three days—from 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday until 5 p.m. on Thursday.
This case marks the third allegation of rape levelled against him. The present complaint is stated to have been lodged by a non-resident Indian woman, who alleged that Mamkootathil raped her in a hotel room. Based on the complaint, a case was registered by the Crime Branch Police Station, Thiruvananthapuram.In the first complaint, the Sessions Court, Thiruvananthapuram had refused to grant pre-arrest bail to Mamkootathil, following which he approached the Kerala High Court. The bail application in that case is still pending, though interim protection from arrest has been granted. In the second case alleging rape, the Sessions Court, Thiruvananthapuram, had granted anticipatory bail to the MLA. The State has since approached the High Court seeking cancellation of that relief, and the matter is scheduled to be taken up on January 21.
Senior counsel Sasthamangalam Ajithkumar along with advocate Sekhar G Thampi appeared for Mamkootathil.
