Thiruvananthapuram: MLA Rahul Mamkoottathil filed an anticipatory bail plea before the Sessions Court here on Friday, hours after Nemom police registered a rape case against him. In his petition, the Palakkad MLA argued that the woman’s complaint is politically motivated and fabricated.

He denied all allegations, including the charge of forced abortion, and stated that the complainant is a close friend.

Rahul’s counsel, Adv Sekhar G Thampi, submitted his bail plea before the court. According to the petition, the woman had befriended the MLA through Facebook, and their relationship later led to consensual sex. It also argued that Rahul Mamkoottathil felt empathy toward the woman after she complained of domestic violence by her husband. He further dismissed the allegation that he had impregnated her.

In the anticipatory bail plea, the MLA alleged that the woman had recorded every moment of their relationship, including chats and voice clips, as part of a political conspiracy to tarnish his image. He noted that the woman had leaked the audio clips during the local body polls, prior to filing the complaint against him. He also questioned her decision to approach the Chief Minister instead of lodging a complaint with the local police.

Rahul Mamkoottathil informed the court that he would cooperate with the investigation and would not interfere with the probe or attempt to tamper with evidence.

The court will consider his anticipatory bail plea on Saturday.

According to sources, the 36-year-old legislator has moved to a hideout. Though he was active in the local body election campaign, he suddenly disappeared after the woman filed a complaint with the Chief Minister on Thursday.

As per the FIR, the suspended Congress leader raped the complainant multiple times, including during her pregnancy. It states that on March 17, her videos were recorded at her apartment, and he allegedly threatened to release them if their relationship became public. The FIR further noted that despite knowing about the pregnancy, Rahul allegedly raped her at her apartment on April 22 and again over two days in the last week of May at his apartment in Palakkad.

Apart from Rahul, police have also booked Joby Joseph, a close aide of Mamkoottathil, for allegedly handing over abortion pills to the complainant inside a car on May 30. He, too, is absconding.

The case has been registered under Sections 64(2)(f) (rape by a person in a position of trust or authority), 64(2)(h) (rape knowing the woman is pregnant), 64(2)(m) (repeated rape on the same woman), 89 (causing miscarriage without consent), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 351(3) (criminal intimidation), and 3(5) (joint criminal liability) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Police have also invoked Section 66(E) of the Information Technology Act for the alleged recording and threat of misuse of private images.

In the anticipatory bail plea, Rahul’s counsel argued that offences under Sections 64 and 89 of the BNS do not apply, claiming the sexual relationship was consensual and that the victim had admitted to taking the tablet on her own.

Nemom police re-registered the FIR after the case was transferred from Valiyamala police station. According to PTI, a special investigation team has been constituted, and a lookout circular has been issued to prevent the accused from leaving the country.

Meanwhile, the complainant’s confidential statement was recorded before a Judicial First Class Magistrate in Neyyattinkara on Friday afternoon. The case was registered against the MLA after the police recorded the complainant's statement at the Thiruvananthapuram rural police headquarters on Thursday.