Kochi: The Kerala High Court has stayed the arrest of MLA Rahul Mamkootathil in the rape case filed against him. The interim order was issued by Justice K. Babu.
Rahul had approached the High Court after the Thiruvananthapuram Principal Sessions Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea the previous day. His petition before the High Court was filed through criminal lawyer S. Rajeev.
According to sources, Rahul stated in his bail petition that the relationship between him and the complainant was consensual, and he denied having committed rape. He further argued that there is no need for custodial interrogation, especially since the woman had submitted her complaint directly to the Chief Minister.
Rahul also claimed that he never forced the woman to undergo an abortion and alleged that the case against him is the result of a CPI(M)–BJP conspiracy to frame him.
Meanwhile, Rahul Mamkootathil continues to remain absconding for the ninth consecutive day. Police have intensified search operations to trace him, but his hideout remains unknown. During his time on the run, Rahul is believed to have frequently changed his mobile phone and vehicle to evade tracking.
Police have also been questioning two members of his personal staff, who were reportedly with him when he fled from Palakkad.
