Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 29 (IANS) In a dramatic turn in the sexual harassment case involving Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, his counsel on Saturday filed nine pieces of purported evidence in a sealed cover before the Thiruvananthapuram District Court, sources said. The MLA’s anticipatory bail plea is slated for hearing on Wednesday.
Among the material submitted to the court was a pen drive that the defence says contains recordings and other material alleging that the head of the media channel where the complainant worked had influenced her to lodge the complaint.
The defence also presented documents asserting that the pregnancy termination referred to in media reports was carried out at the complainant’s request.
In addition, the MLA’s team produced records they say show the complainant was living with her husband at the time the alleged incident is said to have occurred, a claim intended to challenge the timeline and nature of the allegations. The documents and digital evidence were placed in a sealed cover for the court’s consideration.
The Congress leader, who police say had been absconding since the FIR was lodged, surfaced in the state capital on Friday to meet his legal team. He managed the meeting without attracting significant media attention.
The case has also provoked sharp political comment. State Education Minister V. Sivankutty took a mocking tone towards the Congress, saying Rahul’s disappearance raised questions and quipping that it would be enough to know whether the MLA was hiding at the AICC headquarters, the KPCC office or a DCC premises.
Sivankutty demanded that if Rahul Mamkootathil had “any sense of dignity”, he should surrender and resign.
State unit Congress president Sunny Joseph, however, said on Saturday that the party had already taken action when the issue first surfaced in August, noting that Rahul had been suspended at that time and that the decision had been unanimous. The Congress leader sought to underscore the party’s formal response while defending its internal processes.
With legal arguments intensifying and political rhetoric escalating, the matter remains active both in court and in political circles. Observers say the developments could have wider ramifications in the days ahead as the judicial process proceeds and parties weigh their public positions.
–IANS
sg/pgh
