KPCC President Sunny Joseph said rahul Mamkootathil was expelled from the party with the approval of the AICC. He added that it would be better if he voluntarily stepped down from the MLA post.
Published Dec 04, 2025 | 3:13 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 04, 2025 | 3:13 PM
Rahul Mamkootathil. (Facebook)
Synopsis: The court also denied Palakkad MLA protection from arrest, even as he remains on the run ever since the case was registered in Thiruvananthapuram on 28 November.
Minutes after a local court in Thiruvananthapuram rejected rape-accused MLA Rahul Mamkoottathil’s anticipatory bail application on Thursday, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President Sunny Joseph expelled him from the party’s primary membership.
Earlier, Judge Nazeera S of the Principal Sessions Court in the state capital dismissed the Palakkad MLA’s anticipatory bail application in a case of rape and coercive abortion registered against him.
His defence placed WhatsApp chats, call records and photographs before the court to argue the relationship was consensual and the allegations politically driven. The in-camera hearing lasted around 25 minutes.
Mamkoottathil had also moved a separate plea seeking a no-arrest order, arguing that open-court hearings and the presentation of sensitive digital evidence could harm his reputation and compromise statutory privacy protections. The court did not issue a no-arrest order.
He submitted that the exhibits — photographs, audio clips and other materials — concerned the personal dignity of both parties.
The case, registered by the Nemom police, is based on a woman’s complaint alleging sexual assault, forced abortion, and the use of secretly recorded videos for coercion.
The MLA faces charges under multiple provisions of the BNS, including rape by a person in authority, repeated sexual assault, causing miscarriage without consent, criminal intimidation, and joint liability, along with Section 66E of the IT Act.
The court had heard the arguments of both prosecution and defence on Wednesday, also.
Meanwhile, another rape case was registered against the fugitive MLA on Wednesday, 3 December, based on a complaint by a 23-year-old non-resident Keralite woman. She alleged that the politician had raped her at a resort in Pathanamthitta.
In her complaint emailed to Sunny Joseph, Sonia, Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi, she said Mamkootathil had promised to marry her and even said he wanted a child with her.
Joseph forwarded the complaint to the state police chief, DGP Ravada A Chandrasekhar, after which a Special Investigation Team was formed.
While expelling Mamkootathil from Congress’s primary membership, Joseph said the action followed complaints raised against the young MLA and the related cases.
Mamkootathil had been under suspension since 25 August, following allegations of rape.
While the party did not disclose details about the nature of the complaints, the KPCC leadership indicated that the decision to expel Mamkootathil was made after examining the reports and the developments surrounding the case.
Will he continue as MLA?
Addressing the media, KPCC President Joseph said Mamkootathil was expelled from the party with the approval of the AICC. He added that it would be better if he voluntarily stepped down from the MLA post.
Joseph clarified that the party’s decision to expel Mamkootathil had no connection with the court’s hearing of his anticipatory bail plea.
“The expulsion and the court proceedings happened simultaneously. One is not linked to the other,” he said.
The KPCC chief admitted that the controversy involving Mamkootathil had caused a “minor dent” to the Congress party’s image but expressed confidence that it would not affect the upcoming two-phase local body elections, slated for 9 and 11 December.
“The party has taken a clear and firm stand. I believe this will not influence the poll outcome,” he said.
On whether Mamkootathil should resign as an MLA, Joseph said the decision rests entirely with him.
“If he takes such a call, it will be much better,” he added.
Responding to allegations that the Congress leadership delayed action against Mamkootathil, Joseph dismissed them as unfounded.
He stated that the time taken was due to organisational procedures.
“There was no deliberate delay. We followed the required process,” he said.
UDF convener Adoor Prakash said that since Mamkootathil became an MLA on a Congress ticket, it would be appropriate for him to resign on his own from the elected post. He, however, did not clarify whether the party would officially demand his resignation.
Meanwhile, party sources indicate that Mamkootathil might submit his resignation from the Assembly soon.
