Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Thursday extended the interim protection from arrest granted to expelled Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil in a case alleging rape and forcible abortion.

Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas extended the protection until January 7, 2026, when Mamkootathil’s plea challenging a Thiruvananthapuram Principal District and Sessions Court order denying him anticipatory bail will be heard next. The High Court had earlier extended the relief until December 18, after initially granting protection on December 6.

In his petition, Mamkootathil has maintained that he is innocent and that custodial interrogation is unnecessary. He has argued that his relationship with the complainant was consensual and that the complaint was filed after the relationship turned sour.

Mamkootathil had gone into hiding after police registered the case against him, but resurfaced after the High Court granted interim relief on December 6. He later appeared in Palakkad to cast his vote in the local body elections on December 11.

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