Kerala MLA Gets Bail in Second Rape Case, Must Cooperate with Probe

Image Source: Internet

A court in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, has granted conditional anticipatory bail to Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil in a second rape case. The district judge ordered the MLA to appear before investigators every Monday and cooperate with the investigation. The bail comes as Mamkootathil, who was expelled from the Congress last week, is expected to return to his constituency. He faces allegations of raping a 23-year-old woman under the pretext of marriage and causing severe physical injuries. This is the second rape case filed against the MLA, who was also accused of sending obscene messages to a woman actor in August. A former Congress leader, Mamkootathil was suspended from the party's primary membership and asked to step down as Youth Congress state chief. The case against him is based on allegations by a woman who claimed she was raped and forced to terminate her pregnancy. Mamkootathil denies the allegations. His bail petition argued that there was a two-year delay in reporting the offense and that the complainant approached the Congress state chief instead of the police. The MLA must now cooperate with the investigation and appear before investigators every Monday. The court's decision allows him to avoid arrest, but the probe into the allegations will continue.