Activist Rahul Easwar Denied Bail and Remanded to 14-Day Judicial Custody in Kerala MLA Rape Case Defamation Charges

Activist Rahul Easwar was arrested on Sunday following accusations of defaming the complainant in the Kerala MLA rape case.

Thiruvananthapuram:

On Monday, a court rejected activist Rahul Easwar's bail application and placed him in judicial custody for allegedly defaming the woman who filed sexual assault charges against MLA Rahul Mamkoottathil.

After hearing arguments from both parties, Thiruvananthapuram Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Elsa Catherine George denied the bail request.

Court records indicated that Easwar (43) was arrested and presented before the court at approximately 4:30 pm.

"Bail application is filed and detailed arguments are adduced by both sides in open court. Bail application is dismissed vide separate order. For the reasons in the remand report, he is remanded to District Jail, Thiruvananthapuram till December 15," according to the court diary.

Easwar's arrest occurred on Sunday after the Thiruvananthapuram Cyber Police filed charges against him for allegedly defaming on social media the woman who had registered the sexual assault complaint against Mamkoottathil.

Police officials stated that the case was initiated based on the woman's complaint that her photograph was being circulated across social media platforms.

In his bail petition, Easwar maintained that he had not revealed the complainant's identity as alleged by law enforcement.

He further claimed the arrest procedure was improper, stating that he received notice immediately before being taken into custody.

Contesting the bail request, police submitted evidence that Easwar had previously been involved in defaming complainants in similar cases. They presented videos allegedly showing him defaming complainants in sexual assault cases.

After examining all materials submitted, the court denied the bail application.

While being escorted to jail, Easwar told media representatives that police had misled the court.

"I will observe a hunger strike in jail. I have not shared the complainant's photographs. Police have lied before the court," he claimed.

In a related development, Congress leader Sandeep Warrier filed an anticipatory bail petition on Monday before the Thiruvananthapuram District and Principal Sessions Court in the same case. He asserted that he neither revealed the complainant's image nor her identity.

Warrier explained that a marriage photograph of the woman that had been posted on his Facebook page a year earlier had resurfaced following the recent incident.

According to police, three additional individuals have also been implicated in the case.