The Kerala High Court on Wednesday stayed an order of the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Thiruvalla, directing Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil to disclose the passcode of his mobile phone, which investigators had seized in connection with the third rape case registered against him. Justice C Jayachandran granted the interim stay after hearing submissions from senior advocate Sasthamangalam S Ajithkumar, who appeared for Mamkootathil.

According to the prosecution, police recovered two mobile phones from the MLA at the time of his arrest in the case. The devices were later sent to the forensic laboratory for examination. The laboratory director informed the court that both phones were protected by user-defined passcodes and that the stored data remained cryptographically secured, making it technically inaccessible.

Following this report, the prosecution approached the Magistrate Court in Thiruvalla seeking a direction to Mamkootathil to reveal the passwords of the seized phones. Mamkootathil opposed the plea, contending that forcing him to disclose the passcodes would infringe his right to privacy recognised by the Supreme Court. However, the Magistrate allowed the prosecution's request and directed the MLA to provide the passcodes, stating that the order was required for a just and fair investigation.

The present complaint against Mamkootathil was filed by an NRI woman, who alleged that the incident occurred in 2024 in a hotel room in Thiruvalla. She claimed that Mamkootathil befriended her through social media and later compelled her to book a hotel room where he committed rape. She further alleged that she became pregnant as a result of the assault and subsequently suffered a miscarriage.

Police arrested Mamkootathil on January 11, after which he approached the Magistrate Court seeking bail. The court initially granted the police three days’ custody to interrogate him, but later rejected his bail application, citing his antecedents in earlier cases and the possibility of influencing witnesses or tampering with evidence.

Subsequently, on January 28, the Pathanamthitta District and Sessions Court, granted him bail in the case. The petition before the High Court was filed by advocates Sasthamangalam S Ajithkumar, Sreejith S Nair, Satheesh Mohanan and Mahima.
(With LiveLaw Inputs)