Sexual assault case: Palakkad municipality councillor Prasobh moves Kerala HC seeking pre-arrest bail

Kochi: Prasobh M, a former Congress councillor of Palakkad municipality, has approached high court seeking anticipatory bail in a sexual assault case after his pre-arrest bail plea was dismissed by the special court for SC/ST cases in Mannarkad.Justice Jobin Sebastian issued notice to the complainant on the petition and adjourned the matter to May 5. The prosecution case against Prasobh is that he was in a relationship with the survivor and, despite being a married man, allegedly engaged in a sexual relationship with her on multiple occasions by promising to secure employment for her. It was further alleged that when she became pregnant and the relationship became public, he intimidated and abused her. Subsequently, the Palakkad town south police registered a case against the petitioner based on a complaint filed by the survivor under various provisions of the BNSS and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.Earlier, the petitioner had approached the special court in Mannarkkad seeking pre-arrest bail, but the plea was rejected on April 17, prompting him to move HC. In his petition, Prasobh claimed that the relationship was consensual and had continued for more than one-and-a-half years. He contended that the complaint was lodged only after the relationship became public, and not because of any failure on his part to secure employment for the survivor, thereby casting doubt on the prosecution case.