Thiruvananthapuram: A Thiruvananthapuram court on Wednesday granted bail to expelled Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil in the second sexual assault case registered against him, offering temporary legal relief even as investigations continue in two other cases.
The bail order was delivered two days after the court reserved its decision on Mamkootathil’s anticipatory bail plea on Monday, issuing an oral direction to the investigation team not to take any coercive or serious action against him until the order was pronounced.
The relief followed intensified legal and police action after the registration of a second rape case based on a fresh complaint.
According to the complainant’s testimony, she was sexually assaulted despite pleading for mercy and physically clinging to the accused in a bid to escape.
She further alleged that repeated threats and persistent intimidation prevented her from speaking out earlier.
Her statement was earlier recorded by Superintendent of Police Poonguzhali, and both her testimony and digital evidence were submitted before the court.
The second case follows earlier allegations that Mamkootathil, after developing a relationship with the survivor under the promise of marriage, allegedly lured her to a home stay and sexually assaulted her.
The survivor has submitted WhatsApp chats, voice messages, and other electronic records to support her claims.
The court has directed Mamkootathil to present himself before the investigating officer every Monday.
The MLA has been on the run since the last week of November, and all eyes are now on whether he will surface from hiding following the bail order.
Earlier, the High Court had stayed his arrest in the first sexual assault case until December 15.
That date is now seen as crucial, as the High Court is expected to deliver its final verdict on his bail plea in the first case.
Mamkootathil’s counsel has maintained that the complaint is politically motivated and lacks credibility, while the prosecution has strongly opposed any pre-arrest relief, citing the gravity of the allegations and the availability of corroborative digital evidence.
Meanwhile, police efforts to trace the absconding MLA continue.
A new special investigation team has been formed after suspicions arose that information from the earlier search operation had been leaked.
The first team, which conducted searches for over a week, has returned from Karnataka, and the new team has begun their job.
(IANS)
