A district court on Monday granted bail to right-wing YouTuber and self-styled men’s rights activist Rahul Easwar, who has been in custody since November 30 after the police arrested him for defamation, intimidation and defamation of the integrity and publication of the identity of a survivor in a rape case involving Palakkad MLA, Maminka, who reportedly dropped charges against Rahul.
After his release, Mr. Easwar alleged that there was a conspiracy at the level of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to silence him by imprisoning him during the politically sensitive phase of local body elections in Kerala.
Mr. Easwar said the government saw his silence as essential to keep the election narrative focused on allegations of sexual predation swirling around Mr. Mamkootathila as a hedge against him highlighting the Sabarimala gold theft in social and conventional media.
An element of theater surrounded Mr. Easwar’s exit from prison. His supporters showered him with flower petals and garlanded him outside the main entrance of the Poojappura Central Jail. A phalanx of television camera crews awaited his release.
Mr Easwar said the police had falsely told the court that he had not responded to a summons for questioning. He claimed the prosecution had lied in court that the state party had not yet obtained a police report in the case to “ensure” he would languish in a jail cell until the local polls were over.
His wife Deepa Easwar advised him to end his media interactions. “I am listening to my wife’s advice. The arrest traumatized my family. My mother visited me in prison and begged me not to take up my case with the Men’s Rights Commission,” he added.
Mr. Easwar went on hunger strike in jail. His determination lasted four days after the police shifted him from the district jail to the Poojappura Central Jail, where there is an infirmary with round-the-clock doctors and medical staff. Mr. Easwar said that doctors have advised him to end his hunger strike. “My fast was not against the police. It was for setting up a men’s commission,” he said.
Mr. Easwar is the fifth accused in the case, which names Deepa Joseph, Mahila Congress district secretary for Pathanamthitta and KPCC general secretary Sandeep Varrier as co-accused among 20 others.
Published – 15 Dec 2025 21:22 IST
