Pathanamthitta (Kerala): Anticipation continues to build over the court’s decision on the bail plea of Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, who is currently under arrest in connection with multiple sexual assault cases.
Mamkootathil, who was arrested on Sunday following a confidential police operation, is currently on a 14-day judicial remand.
At the time of the arrest, he was out on bail in two other similar cases.
As the Thiruvalla Judicial First Class Magistrate Court considers his bail plea on Monday, the leaked chats, abortion-related allegations and alleged threats are likely to weigh heavily in determining whether custodial interrogation should continue and whether bail can be granted.
The emergence of incriminating WhatsApp chats, allegations of severe financial exploitation, forced abortion, and now explicit threats allegedly issued to a complainant have significantly weakened the defence’s claim that the relationship in question was consensual.
Mamkootathil, in his bail application, has maintained that the complaint against him is fabricated and that the relationship was based on mutual consent.
He has also argued that the complainant concealed the fact that she was married and that he ended the relationship once he became aware of it.
The defence further claims that the complainant, being an adult, had voluntarily booked accommodation and was fully conscious of the consequences of her actions.
However, investigators say digital evidence recovered so far directly contradicts these assertions.
WhatsApp chats that have surfaced suggest not only sexual exploitation but also sustained financial abuse.
The complainant has alleged, with supporting evidence, that Mamkootathil pressured her to purchase a luxury 3BHK apartment in Palakkad and extracted money for a UK trip, expensive clothing and footwear.
These exchanges could lead the court to infer that the relationship was allegedly used as a tool for financial gain rather than a consensual romantic association.
The most serious impediment to bail is the allegation related to abortion.
The complainant has stated that Mamkootathil initially insisted on having a child to continue the relationship, but later disowned the pregnancy, humiliated her, and coerced her into undergoing an abortion.
Despite her willingness to undergo a DNA test to establish paternity, Mamkootathil allegedly avoided it.
Legal experts note that even in a consensual relationship, forcing a woman to terminate a pregnancy constitutes a grave criminal offence and a violation of her physical and mental autonomy.
Adding to the prosecution’s case, a threatening message allegedly sent by Mamkootathil to the complainant in the third rape case has now come to light.
In the message, Mamkootathil is purported to have warned that he would retaliate “in the same coin” against those who oppose him and their families, claimed he has nothing left to lose, and challenged the complainant to file cases or even hold a press conference.
He is also alleged to have threatened to come to her house with others, a charge that could strengthen the prosecution’s argument that he may intimidate witnesses if released.
(IANS)
