In a first for the state, a BJP councillor held under preventive detention via the Kerala Anti-Social Activities Prevention Act retook the oath of office inside Viyyur Central Prison in Thrissur on Tuesday. The short ceremony occurred at the prison library at 11 a.m. and was conducted by the Thiruvananthapuram Mayor. Only the mayor and a few officials were allowed entry. The councillor was then returned to his cell. The event followed a Kerala High Court directive that allowed the representative of the Vazhottukonam division in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation to swear in while detained. The court noted that the voters’ mandate cannot be nullified solely due to preventive custody. The councillor was one of twenty BJP members ordered by the court to retake their oaths after the original ceremony improperly referenced local deities. The other nineteen completed the process earlier, but this councillor could not because of his detention. He was arrested following denial of bail in a case involving an alleged murder attempt during a temple festival clash. Police stated warning shots were fired during the arrest after resistance. He was later placed under the prevention act and held at the prison. Records list nineteen prior cases against him at two local stations, covering attempted murder, rioting, intimidation and hurt. The prison oath drew strong responses from the CPI(M) and Congress, who called it an embarrassment for the BJP after its first win of the corporation. Although the court order allowed the oath, ongoing detention bars the councillor from council meetings. The municipality law states three consecutive absences without exemption can end membership. After the ceremony the mayor told media the BJP would finish its full term and pledged no disqualifications would occur. He added that opponents had not accepted the election result and should respect the voters’ choice.
