E-Paper
Court gives pre-arrest bail to Kerala Congress legislator in rape case
The court also ordered the MLA, who is absconding from two weeks, to appear before the investigating officer on Saturday.
Kerala Congress legislator Eldhose Kunnappilly, who is facing charges of raping a 35-year-old woman and attempting to murder her, was granted anticipatory bail in the case by the district sessions court in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.
The court has added several stringent conditions while granting him bail — he has been asked to surrender his passport and mobile phones and is barred from leaving the state without the permission of the investigating team.
The court also ordered the MLA, who is absconding from two weeks, to appear before the investigating officer on Saturday.
The survivor had first filed a sexual assault complaint against Kunnappilly on September 28 at Kovalam police station. She alleged in her complaint that he sexually assaulted her several times and also tried to bribe her with ₹30 lakh to settle the case and later threatened her.
The MLA had alleged at the time that the case is politically-motivated and he was being blackmailed by the survivor.
Subsequently, she alleged that police delayed the registration of the FIR and coerced her to settle the matter with the MLA. forced her to settle it amicably. On October 12, Kovalam police station SHO, G Praiju, was transferred in response to the allegations and the case was handed over to the crime branch.
On Tuesday, the investigating team added attempt to murder charges to the FIR based on allegations by the survivor that Kunnappilly tried to push her off a cliff in Kovalam, a famous beach destination 16-km away from the state capital, last month.
During the bail hearing on Thursday, the prosecution opposed the MLA’s plea saying that besides rape and assault, he was also facing attempt to murder charges.
Kunnappilly, through his counsel, contended that he was a victim of blackmail and stated that the petitioner had a history of filing such complaints against “known people”.
After the case came to light, the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) had sought an explanation from the MLA last week. Kunnappilly sent his response through his counsel on Thursday.
“We will examine his reply and will take suitable action. The party will take action against him if his reply was not satisfactory,” said PCC chief K Sudhakaran in New Delhi.
Some women leaders of the party have asked the PCC president to take strict action against the MLA.
The ruling CPI(M) has criticised the Congress saying it was shielding the accused. “It is almost a month since the woman raised serious complaints against the MLA and the party is yet to take action against him. It seems it is helping the MLA,” said party leader M V Jayarajan.
