By Ashraf Padanna/Thiruvananthapuram


Former Kerala minister Jose Thettayil, who went into hiding after a woman accused him of rape last month, surfaced at his lawyer’s office in the port city of Kochi after 17 days.
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) legislator, belonging to the Janata Dal (Secular), arrived at the office of advocate M K Damodaran yesterday evening with P J Varghese, the Angamaly area committee secretary of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) which leads the LDF.
The Kerala high court had on Tuesday stayed all proceedings in the case against him for 10 days and sought to hear from the 30-year-old woman who alleged that he raped her when she was planning to marry his son. The woman later “trapped” him by making a recording.
Thettayil later moved court to quash the first information report (FIR) of the police who were on the lookout for him.
Justice P Bhavadasan issued a stay and expressed doubts over the rape charges as the much-publicised visuals appeared to show two consenting adults.
The judge is scheduled to hear the case today where the woman is also expected to be present in the court.
The judge had expressed doubt whether the charge of rape against Thettayil was legally sustainable.
Following this, the director general of prosecution, T Asaf Ali, submitted that Thettayil was not only accused of rape but also of charges such as outraging the modesty of a woman.
“I was very much around in my constituency. I was not hiding,” Thettayil told reporters.
“I know the woman since 2006-07 just as one of my voters and there’s nothing more to it. I cannot speak on the matter as it is sub judice since the court is looking into the allegations”.
Congress party activists waved black flags at the ex-minister as he emerged from the lawyer’s office.
The FIR was filed on the basis of a complaint from the Aluva woman who alleged that both the legislator and his son had sexually abused her.
Thettayil, in his petition, said the woman’s claims were false and he had not committed rape.
Thettayil reiterated that the complaint was politically motivated.
The court also expressed doubts whether the complaint did make out a rape case under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code and if it would stand the judicial scrutiny.
During the hearing, the judge also expressed doubts over whether she had made the recording to blackmail the former minister.