'Not rape, extramarital affair, she sent money & gifts even after alleged incident': Rahul Mamkootathil in bail plea

Kerala legislator Rahul Mamkootathil, who has been arrested for alleged rape, received money and gifts from the survivor even after the day of the alleged incident, according to the additional grounds for bail in the plea submitted before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court - 1, Thiruvalla. The  plea filed by Advocate Sekhar G Thampi and Abhilash Chandran for Mamkootathil also cited an audio message sent by the survivor. According to the defence, this message shows the relationship was totally consensual and it will cut the root of the prosecution case.

Mamkootathil's phone which has been seized by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), contains messages and chats with the survivor and the defence argued that the content could even lead to his acquittal in the case. The plea also quotes from the First Information Statement in which the survivor admits that she was living with her husband during the relationship with Mamkootathil. "She fell into an extramarital affair with Rahul. She is not a minor and was well aware of the consequences of the relationship," the plea notes.

According to the defence, she booked a hotel room in her name on April 8, 2024 and waited for Mamkootathil there, which established her consent for relationship. The counsels produced chat history between them dated December 20, 2024 showing that even after the alleged incident they had a very friendly conversation and the chats did not reveal any trauma. "The name of the petitioner was saved along with heart emoji in her phone," the defence pointed out. 

The screenshots of the Whatsapp chat between the survivor and Mamkootathil and chats between Feni Ninan, Rahul's friend and the survivor were produced along with additional grounds filed for the bail. The defence also cited procedural lapses in the registration of the First Information Report. The court will pronounce verdict on the bail plea on Saturday. 

Mamkootathil was arrested on Sunday in connection with the third rape case and was later remanded to judicial custody by the Thiruvalla Judicial First Class Magistrate Court. The latest case is based on a complaint filed by a woman from Kottayam, who is settled abroad.