Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil appears at Kerala Assembly, ends self-imposed political exile amid sexual misconduct charges

Congress legislator Rahul Mamkootathil arrived at the Kerala Legislative Assembly on Monday (September 15, 2025), seemingly marking the end of his self-imposed political exile following accusations of sexual misconduct that had kept him away from public life last month.

Mr. Mamkootathil entered the Assembly precincts, accompanied by Youth Congress leaders, including its Thiruvananthapuram district secretary Nemom Sajeer, as the House was paying homage — an obit reference — to the memory of departed leaders, including former Chief Minister and Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] stalwart V.S. Achuthanandan, former Speaker P.P. Thankachan, and Communist Party of India (CPI) legislator from Peerumedu in Idukki, Vazhoor Soman.

Mr. Mamkootathil, later, occupied the seat allocated to him in the Assembly chamber on Sunday by Speaker A.N. Shamseer.

Mr. Shamseer had said that Mr. Mamkootathil’s expulsion from the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) had constrained the Chair to regard him as an independent block, allocating him a seat well away from the Opposition and Treasury Benches. 

CPI(M) State committee member E.P. Jayarajan stated that Mr. Mamkootathil had “challenged civil society and attempted to erode the dignity of the House by casting aside political propriety and ethics.”

He said Mr. Mamkootathil remained under a cloud of suspicion and was in the dock for “serial sexually predatory behaviour.”

“Mr. Mamkootathil has not legally challenged or denied the charges raised against him by several women. Moreover, the Kerala Police Crime Branch were investigating the petitions”, he added. 

Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) State secretary V.K. Sanoj told reporters that Mr. Mamkootathil had arrived at the House “brazenly defying” Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan’s writ.

Mr. Mamkootathil, he stated, has signalled rebellion. He appeared to have the support of a section of the Youth Congress. “A revolt is on in the KPCC and Congress Legislative Party over the Mamkootathil issue, with leaders taking divergent positions”, he added.

Mr. Mamkootathil faced the threat of a boycott from the DYFI and also the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) if the legislator “set foot” in the Assembly or his constituency in Palakkad. He arrived at the Assembly after travelling in a private car from his private residence at Adoor in Pathanamthitta district early Monday.

Mr. Mamkootathil had marked his presence in the Assembly on a day the KPCC leadership was convening at the Indira Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram to weigh the disciplinary action against Mr. Mamkootathil.

Meanwhile, a section of Mr. Mamkootathil’s loyalists in the Youth Congress has declared that they would “protect” the legislator in Thiruvananthapuram and also in his constituency in Palakkad.