Congress Councillor Accused of Rape Files Anticipatory Bail Plea in High Court; Remains Absconding

Thiruvananthapuram: Prashobh C Valsan, Congress councillor representing Ward 24 of Palakkad municipality, has filed an anticipatory bail petition in the Kerala High Court in connection with a case alleging that he raped a Dalit woman and impregnated her after luring her with a promise of employment. Justice Jobin Sebastian, who heard the petition, issued notice to the complainant.

According to the complaint, the accused befriended the young woman who had come to Palakkad to study a beautician course, and subsequently assaulted her on multiple occasions — at her home by breaking in, in his car, and at a hotel. When she informed him she was pregnant, he allegedly pressured her to take abortion medication. The woman filed a complaint with the Chief Minister, following which Palakkad South police registered a case under rape charges as well as the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The Mannarkkad Special Court Judge Jomon John had earlier rejected the councillor's bail application, after which the accused approached the High Court. The survivor had recorded her statement before the judge in a closed courtroom, and a medical examination report has also been submitted to the court. The accused has been in hiding since the case was registered.

The case carries an added political dimension — seven Congress functionaries had resigned in protest when the party fielded this councillor as a candidate in the local body elections, a fact that has deepened scrutiny of the party's conduct in the matter.