High Court Stays Arrest Of Absconding MLA Rahul Mankootathil In Sexual Assault Case

Kochi: The Kerala High Court has temporarily stopped the arrest of Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, who is accused in a secual assault case and has been absconding for several days.

The order came on Friday after Rahul approached the High Court seeking anticipatory bail.

Rahul had earlier filed a similar plea before the Thiruvananthapuram Principal Sessions Court, but the court rejected it.

Soon after that, he moved the High Court for relief. The High Court has now issued an interim order protecting him from arrest until the next hearing.

The petition will be taken up again on the 15th of this month.

The court said it would listen to detailed arguments on that day before making any final decision. For now, the arrest has only been put on hold temporarily.

The case came before the bench of Justice K. Babu. Rahul’s petition was originally listed as item number 32, but as soon as the court session began, his lawyer requested that the matter be considered urgently.

Taking note of the request, the judge issued an interim order.

The court also directed that the case diary be produced before it on the next hearing date.

Only after reviewing the case details and hearing both sides fully will the court decide whether Rahul should receive permanent protection from arrest.

Rahul has been in hiding for the last ten days. Police have been searching for him, but he has not appeared publicly since the allegations surfaced.