Court to Hear Rahul Mankootathil’s Bail Plea in Assault and Forced Abortion Case

Thiruvananthapuram: The Thiruvananthapuram Sessions Court will soon hear the anticipatory bail plea of Congress MLA Rahul Mankootathil in the case involving the brutal assault of a woman and her alleged forced illegal abortion. A widespread search for Rahul is currently underway across Kerala and neighbouring states, with indications that he may be hiding in Bengaluru. Police are also expected to register a case based on the sexual harassment complaint submitted to the KPCC yesterday and subsequently forwarded to the DGP.

The primary criminal case was earlier filed on the basis of the survivor’s complaint addressed to the Chief Minister and others, alleging sexual assault. Rahul Mankootathil is named as the first accused, while his friend Joby Joseph from Adoor, who is alleged to have supplied the abortion medication, is listed as the second accused. Rahul faces charges of rape, an offence punishable with imprisonment up to life.

Significantly, the arguments presented in Rahul’s anticipatory bail plea may work against him. The plea admits that Rahul had multiple sexual encounters with the survivor and claims that she recorded and preserved their phone calls and chat conversations. This directly contradicts earlier arguments that the leaked audio recordings were AI-generated and not Rahul’s voice.

The bail application attempts to attribute responsibility for the pregnancy to the woman’s former husband. However, according to the survivor’s testimony, her interactions with Rahul began five months after her marriage ended, and she alleges that Rahul sexually abused her under the false promise of marriage. Rahul must now explain why the abortion drugs were delivered through his friend Joby Joseph. Any attempt to defend it as a casual favour will be undermined by voice evidence in which Rahul is allegedly heard coercing and threatening her to take the pills.

In a WhatsApp exchange, Rahul is purportedly heard saying, “I want to make you pregnant. I want our child.” Another audio clip reportedly captures him pressuring her to abort the pregnancy. Rahul also verified through a video call that the woman had ingested the medication. Possession or distribution of abortion drugs without a doctor’s prescription is a criminal offence, and both the pharmacy owner who supplied the drug and any doctor who may have recommended it may face prosecution.

Under Section 89 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), performing an unscientific or illegal abortion is punishable with life imprisonment or up to ten years in prison, or a fine. Forcing a person to consume a drug that endangers life is punishable under BNS Section 123 with up to ten years’ imprisonment. These charges are likely to apply to Joby Joseph as well.