Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil late on Friday sought anticipatory bail from the Thiruvananthapuram district court after the state police charged him with rape and forced medical termination of pregnancy, among others, on the complaint of his wife’s acquaintance.
The allegations against Mr Mamkootathila also include intimidation, cheating and secretly recording the alleged victim’s private moments for blackmail.
Mr. Mamkootathil called the complaint false and politically motivated. He also alleged a CPI(M)-BJP conspiracy to tarnish his character and tarnish his public standing. He argued that the petitioner was intentionally recording their private communications as part of a political intrigue.
Mr. Mamkootathil noted that the complainant chose to leak voice clips and chat messages to journalists, prompting a criminal trial by the media, rather than file a complaint with the police. The court is likely to hear the MLA’s plea on Monday.
Meanwhile, the state police has formed a new team led by City Police Commissioner Thomson Jose to investigate the case. They reportedly asked the Bureau of Immigration, the central government agency that controls entry and exit points into the country, including air, sea and land ports, to issue a notice to lawmakers.
The government set up a special investigation team (SIT) in August after voice recordings and text messages allegedly implicating the MLA in a suspected crime went viral and sparked public outrage.
Subsequently, the Congress suspended Mr. Mamkootathila from the party’s primary membership, forcing the MLA into political self-exile.
The SIT probe soon hit a dead end due to the absence of the complainant. However, the scandal took a sharp legal turn on Thursday after the woman met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and lodged a formal complaint.
Subsequently, the Nemom police registered a case against Mr. Mamkootathila under relevant sections of the BNSS, including rape by a person in a position of trust or authority; rape knowing that the woman is pregnant, repeated sexual assault of the victim; cause an abortion without consent; criminal intimidation; obtaining sexual consent by fraudulent means; and cause injury.
Officials said the police are also investigating Mr. Mamkootathila on allegations of obtaining abortion drugs without a prescription, employing an acquaintance to deliver the pills to the woman and forcing her to take the drug while he allegedly watched via video call to ensure compliance.
The police have named a well-known Mr. Mamkootathila Joby Joseph as the second accused in the case.
Officials said the police would seek the help of the State Forensic Science Laboratory to verify whether the audio messages attributed to Mr. Mamkootathil on social and traditional media were authentic or altered or fabricated to discredit the lawmaker.
Results from audio forensics would inform the IT aspect of the case.
The police will also seize mobile phones allegedly involved in the crime and obtain a certificate under Section 65B of the Indian Evidence Act to admit them as evidence in court.
They will also include a Cyber Forensics Wing for checking timestamps and formatting for handling digital evidence, verifying ownership of devices and analyzing metadata in fast-paced investigations.
Officials said the whereabouts of Mr. Mamkootathila, who recently became active in his constituency and started low-key campaigning for UDF candidates in the upcoming local elections, remained unknown.
Published – 28 Nov 2025 21:22 IST
