In an unprecedented development, BJP councillor R. Sugathan, who is under preventive detention under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA), retook his oath of office inside the Viyyur Central Prison in Thrissur, Kerala, on Tuesday (July 14, 2026), in a State first.

The brief oath-taking ceremony was held at the prison library hall at 11 a.m. and was administered by Thiruvananthapuram Mayor V.V. Rajesh. Entry was restricted to the Mayor and a handful of officials. Immediately after taking the oath, Mr. Sugathan was escorted back to his prison cell.

The ceremony followed a Kerala High Court order permitting Mr. Sugathan, the BJP councillor representing the Vazhottukonam division of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, to take the oath inside the prison. The court had observed that “the democratic mandate of the electorate could not be defeated” merely because an elected representative was under preventive detention.

Mr. Sugathan was among 20 BJP councillors who had earlier been directed by the High Court to retake their oath after they violated the prescribed format by invoking the names of local deities during the original swearing-in ceremony. While the remaining 19 councillors subsequently took the oath afresh, Mr. Sugathan was unable to do so as he had been detained under the KAAPA.

Mr. Sugathan was arrested after a court denied him bail in a case relating to the alleged attempt to murder a man during a clash at a temple festival. According to the police, officers had to fire warning shots while attempting to arrest him after he allegedly resisted arrest. He was subsequently detained under the KAAPA and lodged in the Viyyur Central Prison.

The police records show that 19 criminal cases have been registered against Mr. Sugathan over the years at the Vattiyurkavu and Nedumangad police stations, including charges of attempted murder, rioting, criminal intimidation and voluntarily causing hurt.

Sharp political reactions

The oath-taking inside the prison triggered sharp political reactions, with the CPI(M) and the Congress describing it as “an embarrassment” for the BJP, which had scripted history by wresting control of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation for the first time.

Although the High Court’s order enabled Mr. Sugathan to complete the mandatory oath of office, his continued detention means he cannot attend meetings of the Corporation Council. Under the Kerala Municipality Act, a councillor who remains absent from three consecutive council meetings without valid exemption is liable to lose membership.