A Magistrate court in Thiruvananthapuram on January 16 (Tuesday) granted bail to Youth Congress Kerala president Rahul Mamkootathil in two of the three rioting, unlawful assembly and public property destruction cases registered in connection with Opposition demonstrations in Kerala capital in early January and late December.
Mr. Mamkootathil is currently in judicial remand at the Central Prison, Poojappura. On January 15 (Monday), the Cantonment police re-arrested him in judicial custody in three other cases connected to the Youth Congress protests.
After the court issued a production warrant, the police produced Mr. Mamkootathil briefly before Judicial First Class Magistrate-III, Thiruvananthapuram, on Tuesday.
The court did not release Mr. Mamkootathil on bail since his remand period in an earlier case expires only on January 22. The district court will likely hear Mr. Mamkootathil’s bail plea on January 17 (Wednesday).
Victims of political witch-hunt: Satheesan
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan told reporters in Kannur that Mr. Mamkootathil and hundreds of other Youth Congress leaders were the victims of a brutal political witch-hunt launched by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
“Even as I speak, the police are barging into the houses of Youth Congress workers and dragging them out of their beds at dawn. Scores are in judicial remand. The police and Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] goons targeted Youth Congress workers on the streets. The police unleashed wanton violence against women activists, including at Alappuzha recently,” Mr. Satheesan said.
Last week, the Youth Congress filed a defamation suit against CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan for claiming that Mr. Mamkootathil had submitted fake medical certificates for release on bail after the police arrested him in connection with the violence in front of the Government Secretariat on January 2.
On Sunday, Mr. Govindan said he stuck by his allegation. He said the court order remanding Mr. Mamkootathil in judicial custody clearly said the medical certificate and discharge summary submitted by the Youth Congress leader for bail had no seal or proper signatures.
Mr. Govindan said he was yet to get the Youth Congress’s notice.
