Suspended Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil on Friday moved the Thiruvananthapuram Sessions Court seeking anticipatory bail in a rape case filed against him by the Nemom Police.
The police have registered a case against the former MLA under multiple non-bailable sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for sexually abusing a woman under the pretext of marriage and forcing her to terminate pregnancy. The case was registered at the Valiyamala police station and then transferred to the Nemom station.
The FIR in the present rape case was registered by the police after the survivor and her family met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at the Secretariat on Thursday and handed over a written complaint.
Rahul Mamkootathil has been booked under eight non-bailable sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, including Section 64 for rape, Section 64(2), for repeatedly committing rape on the same woman, Section 64(f) for rape by a person in a position of trust, Section 64(h) for rape on a woman knowing she is pregnant, and Section 64(m) for repeated rape on the same woman.
It also includes Section 89 of the BNS for causing miscarriage without a woman’s consent, BNS 316 for criminal breach of trust, and Section 68(e) of the Information Technology Act relating to transmission of offensive digital content.
The offences cumulatively carry punishments ranging from ten years to life imprisonment. He has also been booked under the provisions of the Information Technology Act.
The FIR said Rahul sexually abused the woman thrice after giving a fake marriage promise. The abuse took place in Thiruvananthapuram as well as in Palakkad and was secretly videotaped. When she became pregnant, Rahul forced her to terminate the pregnancy. When she objected, she was blackmailed using the videotape.
According to the complainant, Rahul Mamkootathil raped her, got her pregnant, and forced her to have an abortion. She also alleged that Mamkootathil recorded private moments with her and later threatened to release it.
On receiving the complaint, the Chief Minister’s Office handed it over to Law and Order ADGP H Venkatesh for further action. The police subsequently recorded the victim’s detailed statement. While recording her statement, the woman told investigators that she was physically abused by Rahul after giving her a fake marriage promise. When she became pregnant, he goaded her into aborting it saying it would sabotage his political career. She was pressured into taking two pills without any medical prescription. Due to this she suffered heavy bleeding, but Rahul took her plight lightly and even threatened her.