BJP councillor R. Sugathan seeks Kerala High Court’s permission to attend July 14 re-swearing-in ceremony

BJP leader and Thiruvananthapuram Corporation‘s Ward 20 councillor R. Sugathan has approached the Kerala High Court, seeking its permission to attend the re-swearing-in ceremony as councillor on July 14.

This comes a day after the Nedumangad Judicial First Class Magistrate court on Thursday granted him an interim bail of one day (applicable from 5 p.m. on July 13 to 9 p.m. on July 14) to attend the ceremony. The court had held that a final call on his swearing-in would be taken only after the Kerala High Court’s verdict on his bail plea in a case registered under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA).

Mr. Sugathan was among the 20 BJP councillors of the civic body whom the High Court had ordered to retake their oaths, for violating the norms in their original swearing-in by using the names of local deities. As per the June 24 order of the HC, the re-swearing-in had to be conducted within four weeks as per the prescribed statutory format. While the 19 other councillors sworn in on the same day, Mr. Sugathan could not do the same as he was lodged at the high-security correctional facility at Viyyur Central Prison in Thrissur in the KAAPA case.

In his plea before the HC, he had alleged that his detention was politically motivated and that the government might interfere to prevent him from taking the oath. The matter has been posted for the next hearing on July 13.

The KAAPA advisory board had on Wednesday upheld his six-month preventive detention under the Act. He is listed on the Vattiyurkavu police’s rowdy historysheet and is facing 19 criminal cases. These include four cases of attempted murder, along with offences including rioting, causing hurt, and criminal intimidation.