The Kerala High Court has granted anticipatory bail to Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil from Palakkad in a case alleging rape and forced abortion. The relief was granted by Justice Kausar Edappagath on Thursday on a petition filed by the MLA challenging the order of the Thiruvananthapuram Sessions Court, which had earlier rejected his plea for anticipatory bail. The detailed order of the High Court is not yet available.
Rahul Mamkootathil had been protected from arrest in this matter since December 6, 2025. This is the first sexual assault case registered against the Palakkad MLA. Two other similar cases of sexual harassment are also pending against him, in which he had earlier obtained protection from arrest.
In the third case, he was arrested on January 11 and remained in custody for more than two weeks before being granted regular bail. He had approached the Sessions Court on January 17, 2026, after a Magistrate court rejected his bail plea.
The third sexual assault case was registered on January 8 based on a complaint lodged by a woman from Kottayam district.
In the present case, Rahul Mamkootathil has been booked under Sections 376 and 506(1) of the Indian Penal Code for alleged rape and criminal intimidation. Police arrested him from Palakkad on January 11 in connection with the third case.
Earlier, both the High Court and the Sessions Court in Thiruvananthapuram had granted him protection from arrest in the first two sexual assault cases, which were based on complaints filed by two different women.
