Kochi: The Kerala High Court refused to cancel the anticipatory bail granted to Congress MLA Eldhose Kunnappilly, who was accused of repeatedly raping a woman.
The HC dismissed two appeals against the anticipatory bail granted to Kunnappilly on October 20 by the Additional Sessions Judge- VII, Thiruvananthapuram.
The state government filed one of the appeals in the HC, while the complainant filed the other.
MLA from Perumbavoor of Ernakulam district, Kunnappilly, was accused of offences, including repeatedly raping the same woman, attempting to murder, and assaulting the woman with the intention to outrage her modesty. The charges were made on the basis of a complaint filed by the alleged survivor in September 2022.
The state government, in its appeal, argued that the Sessions Court made a mistake in granting pre-arrest bail when the investigation was only started. It argued that there was a long-standing relationship between Kunnappilly and the complainant. However, when the relationship became strained, Kunnappilly allegedly assaulted and raped her several times.
Kunnappilly assaulted the complainant and threatened to kill her when she refused to go with him to a particular rest house, the court was told through the appeal.
It was on these grounds that the state sought to quash the order granting anticipatory bail to Kunnappilly, but the court ruled otherwise, giving more relief to the beleaguered legislator who has been suspended from the Congress party for six months.
This fresh court order has come as a big relief not just for the legislator but also for the Congress-led opposition, which is gearing up to take on the Vijayan government at the upcoming special session of the Assembly starting on Monday.