The High Court on Saturday granted interim protection from arrest to Palakkad MLA  Rahul Mamkootathil, who is accused of rape and forceful abortion, in a case registered by Nemom police. Justice K Babu issued the interim order while considering an anticipatory bail plea filed by Rahul Mamkootathil. Fearing arrest, he has been on the run for more than a week. 

The HC has posted the case for further hearing on December 15. The court has sought case records and other documents to consider the plea for anticipatory bail.

The interim protection has been granted for the case registered by Nemom police. The MLA also faces another case of rape, registered by the Crime Branch after KPCC president Sunny Joseph had forwarded a complaint filed by a 23-year-old woman to the State Police Chief. The plea filed in the HC pertains only to the case filed at Nemom police station. Soon after the HC's interim order, Rahul also filed an anticipatory bail plea in the Thiruvananthapuram Principal Sessions court in the rape case registered by the Crime Branch.

Rahul moved the HC, after Thiruvananthapuram Principal Sessions court denied him pre-arrest bail in the case citing that the offences alleged are of grave nature. The District court noted that the consent of the survivor for abortion was only given under pressure exerted by Rahul and on the hope of leading a life with him. The Sessions court Judge observed that granting Rahul a pre-arrest bail will adversely affect the investigation.

Rahul, who was expelled from the primary membership of the Congress party, following the Sessions court order, has been on the run, evading Kerala police. In his bail plea filed in the High Court, he expressed his willingness to cooperate with the investigation and said that it was a belated complaint which was directly submitted to the Chief Minister instead of filing it through a proper channel. He said in his petition that the relationship was consensual and the survivor herself decided to abort pregnancy.

Rahul has also raised suspicion over the second complaint saying that the name, place of occurrence etc.. were not mentioned in the complaint and that the email ID from which it was sent was also suspicious.