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Congress expels Palakkad MLA facing sexual harassment charges after court rejects his anticipatory bail plea

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Left with no other option, the Congress in Kerala expelled Rahul Mamkootathil, MLAwho is facing sexual harassment chargesfrom the party. The action came minutes after the Thiruvananthapuram Principal Sessions Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea, leaving the leadership with little room to defend or protect him. The court also refused to issue a directive preventing his arrest. KPCC president Sunny Joseph said Rahul has been expelled from the partys primary membership. The decision, taken with the approval of the AICC, follows mounting complaints and pending cases against the Palakkad MLA. Speaking to the media, the Congress leadership noted that it is now up to Rahul to resign his MLA post. Both KPCC president Sunny Joseph and UDF convener Adoor Prakash stated that Rahul should step down as a legislator. There had been growing dissent within the Congress over what many leaders described as an undue delay in taking strong action against the Palakkad MLA. The party has been facing increasing pressure, both internally and externally, to act against the young legislator. Several senior leaders, including former KPCC presidents V.M. Sudheeran and K. Muraleedharan, had demanded stringent action against him. Although the expulsion was widely expected on Wednesday, sources indicated that a section of party leaders preferred to wait for the courts decision before finalising the move. The leadership reportedly reached a consensus on Thursday, following the courts rejection of the plea, prompting the KPCC to formally announce the expulsion.