T’puram, 4 Dec

Congress on Thursday expelled suspended MLA Rahul Mamkoottathil from the party’s primary membership after multiple serious complaints, including two sexual assault cases, were registered against him. The move came shortly after a Thiruvananthapuram court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea in the first rape case.

Mamkoottathil, who has been absconding since the case was filed, was suspended earlier and had resigned as Youth Congress state president after actress Rini Ann George accused “a young leader” of misbehaviour. His expulsion comes exactly a year after he took oath as Palakkad MLA following a 2024 by-election.

The first case was registered after a woman complained to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who forwarded it to the State Police Chief. She alleged rape and coercion to terminate a pregnancy, and provided an audio clip in which Mamkoottathil purportedly insisted she undergo an abortion. He wrote on Facebook that he would “fight legally” to prove innocence.

Days later, a second rape case was filed by a 23-year-old woman who accused him of luring her to a homestay and sexually assaulting her. Several other women and a transgender person have since levelled allegations.

Meanwhile, Kerala Police have registered 32 cases against individuals who shared defamatory content or revealed the identity of the first complainant. Activist Rahul Easwar was among the first arrested in related cases