The Kerala High Court on Thursday granted anticipatory bail to Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil in the rape case registered against him by the Nemom police. In December 2025, Thiruvananthapuram Sessions Court had rejected his pre-arrest bail plea, following which he moved the High Court.

The prosecution case is that Mamkootathil befriended the survivor through social media, while she was living separately from her husband and gave psychological support to her. He then raped her on many occasions, impregnated her, took her nude video and forced her to terminate the pregnancy.

In his bail plea, Mamkootathil said that the relationship was consensual and that the complaint was politically motivated. He faces charges of rape, causing miscarriage without women's consent, voluntarily causing hurt, criminal intimidation and violation of privacy.

This was the first case registered against Mamkootathil. Two other women filed complaints against him later. Mamkootathil was granted bail in two other cases by the Sessions Court, Thiruvananthapuram and Sessions Court, Pathanamthitta. Justice Kauser Edappagath, who granted bail to Mamkootathil, laid down a set of conditions which included surrender of passport and mobile phone.