4 months ago
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The Judicial First Class Magistrate Court successful Thiruvalla, Pathanamthitta, connected Tuesday (January 13, 2026) granted the Kerala Police’s Crime Branch 3 days’ constabulary custody of Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, who is presently successful judicial remand pursuing his apprehension connected rape charges connected Sunday.
Officials said the custody play was from 12.45 p.m. connected Tuesday to 5 p.m. connected Thursday. The constabulary had escorted Mr. Mamkootathil to the tribunal from the sub jailhouse astatine Mavelikara, Alappuzha, nether dense constabulary escort, amid raucous thoroughfare protests by Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) activists. An anonymous protester pelted an ovum astatine Mr. Mamkootathil, narrowly missing the MLA, successful beforehand of the sub jail.
Mr. Mamkootathil’s defence counsel argued against granting Crime Branch the MLA’s custody, stating that his apprehension was connected “flimsy” ineligible grounds.
The defence cited perceived procedural flaws, including the lack of a signed complaint. Mr. Mamkootathil’s counsel argued that the Crime Branch had arrested the MLA successful haste aboriginal Sunday based connected a “tenuous e-mail” received by the Chief Minister’s Office.
He argued that the peculiar probe squad (SIT) had not secured the complainant’s sworn connection nether Section 183 of Bharatiya Nagarika Nyaya Samhiti.
The counsel besides submitted that Mr. Mamkootathil’s narration with the complainant was consensual.
Prosecution stance
The prosecution argued that Mr. Mamkootathil’s custodial interrogation was imperative for recovering evidence, including the integer devices helium utilized for his backstage and societal communications with the alleged unfortunate from 2020 onwards. It accused Mr. Mamkootathil of not cooperating with the investigators, including the withholding of passwords to mobile phones.
The prosecution told the tribunal that Mr. Mamkootathil was “a serial intersexual offender” who had “a past of intimidating his victims.” It noted that the Crime Branch was investigating 3 abstracted charges of rape slapped against the MLA.
The State-side underscored the request to escort Mr. Mamkootathil to the country of the crime, a edifice country successful Thiruvalla, and grounds his statement, talk to witnesses and others, including a fewer alert of his narration with the alleged victim, arsenic portion of the investigation.
Second complaint
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister’s Office has referred a 2nd ailment from the alleged victim, who claimed she was the people of a concerted societal media onslaught to slur her quality and integrity, to State Police Chief (SPC) Ravada Chandrasekhar for further action.
Excise Minister M.B. Rajesh said “troll farms moving for Mr. Mamkootathil” person incessantly targeted his victims. “The online run is to make a chilling effect connected victims who person travel guardant bravely and to deter much complainants,” helium added.
