The Kerala High Court on Monday extended the interim protection from arrest granted to expelled Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil in a case involving allegations of rape and forcing a woman to terminate her pregnancy.
Justice K Babu, who was hearing Mamkootathil’s plea challenging the Thiruvananthapuram Principal District and Sessions Court’s refusal to grant him anticipatory bail, posted the matter for further hearing on December 18. The court continued its earlier direction restraining the police from arresting the MLA until the petition is taken up again on the next date.
In a related development, a separate petition filed by the Kerala government challenging the Thiruvananthapuram court’s order granting Mamkootathil pre-arrest bail in another case also came up before the High Court. That case pertains to allegations of sexual assault on a woman on the false promise of marriage. The matter was listed before a bench of Justice Viju Abraham, which decided to take it up after the Christmas vacation.
Mamkootathil had reportedly gone into hiding after the registration of the cases against him. He returned after the High Court granted him interim relief earlier this month. On December 11, he appeared in public to cast his vote in Palakkad during the local body elections.
The cases against the expelled MLA remain under investigation, with further proceedings now dependent on the High Court’s consideration of the anticipatory bail plea later this week.
