Kerala Assembly Speaker A. N. Shamseer on Sunday said that the continuation of Rahul Mamkootathil as a legislator sends a wrong message to society and that legal opinion would be sought on disqualifying the Palakkad MLA.
Speaking to the media here, Speaker Shamseer said that Rahul Mamkootathil clinging to the MLA post despite a series of grave allegations levelled against him conveys a wrong message to society.
“It is not just one allegation; allegations are coming continuously. This is a very serious matter. The allegations against Mamkootathil will be examined by the Ethics and Privileges Committee of the Assembly. Legal opinion will be sought on disqualifying the Palakkad MLA,” the Speaker said.
Leader of the Opposition V. D. Satheesan said that the law should take its own course in the complaints against Rahul Mamkootathil. He added that the Congress had acted even before a formal complaint was filed.
Stating that an MLA getting entangled in rape cases is a disgrace to the democratic set-up, General Education Minister V. Sivankutty demanded Rahul Mamkootathil’s resignation.
Meanwhile, a Pathanamthitta magistrate court on Sunday remanded Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil to 14 days of judicial custody after police arrested him early in the morning on charges of rape. The magistrate sent him to a sub-jail in Mavelikkara.
Earlier, when Rahul Mamkootathil was taken to the Pathanamthitta General Hospital for a medical check-up, activists of the DYFI and Yuva Morcha staged protests against him.
He was taken out of the police vehicle with great difficulty. Although a large police contingent was deployed at the hospital, the police were unable to stop the protesters.
Expelled Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, who faces multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, was arrested late on Saturday night in connection with a fresh rape complaint filed by a woman against him.