In a rape case filed by the Nemom Police, the Kerala High Court on Thursday granted Rahul Mamkootathil, an MLA from Palakkad, anticipatory bail. The court questioned the prosecution’s objections and granted him pre-arrest relief under severe terms.
According to the court’s ruling, Rahul will be freed upon posting a Rs 1 lakh bond if the police choose to detain him. He has been instructed to stay in Kerala, turn in his passport to the local magistrate, and refrain from getting in touch with the prosecution’s witnesses or the complainant.
Also, he has to show up for the investigation every other Saturday between 10 and 11 a.m.
Justice Kauser Edappagath granted the plea and ordered the MLA to turn over his cell phone and appear before the investigating officer on February 16, 2026, at 10 a.m.
He has been asked to be questioned from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for three days in a row. He will be considered detained during this time in order to support any necessary medical examinations or potency testing as part of the investigation.
A complaint filed with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on November 27, 2025, served as the basis for the case. Rape, forced abortion, and pregnancy by sexual assault were all claimed in the case.
The MLA went to the High Court after the Sessions Court in Thiruvananthapuram had already denied his request for anticipatory bail. In December 2025, his arrest had been postponed.
The complainant stated that she had a consensual relationship with the MLA prior to the alleged incident on March 17, 2025, which the judge also took note of. According to her account, she had subsequently gone to Palakkad, spent two days with him, and had consensual intercourse.
Because of this, the court requested that the prosecution explain whether the particular behavior in question was coerced or voluntary.
The MLA allegedly intimidated the complainant with camera recordings, according to the prosecution, which claimed that the encounter amounted to forced sex. According to the court, the matter concerning the purported films can be looked at independently while the investigation is underway.
Mamkootathil acknowledged in his plea that he and the complainant had a physical relationship, but he insisted that it was voluntary.
In addition to accusing him of providing false information to the court, the complainant claimed that she had been the victim of ongoing sexual assault, bodily assault, and psychological intimidation.
In two further rape cases that are still pending against him, Mamkootathil has already obtained bail.
The Court also considered claims that the complainant was coerced into getting an abortion by the MLA. It was noted that the complainant’s WhatsApp conversations with Mamkootathil implied that she took the abortion drugs willingly.
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However, the Court stated that it would be investigated throughout the trial if the permission to take the drugs was coerced or induced through undue influence.
