THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala High Court has allowed BJP Councillor R. Sugathan of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, who is currently lodged in prison under the KAAPA Act, to take his oath of office at Viyyur Central Jail. Sugathan’s swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday at 11 AM. The High Court directed the state government to make all necessary arrangements for the event and granted permission for accredited media personnel to cover the ceremony.
The petition was considered by a bench headed by Justice P. V. Kunhikrishnan. During the hearing, the court orally remarked that administering an oath inside jail is not illegal and emphasized that the democratic mandate of the public must be respected. The court had earlier directed the government to clarify its stance on the matter.
Sugathan had approached the High Court seeking release from prison to take his oath as a councillor. In his application, he highlighted that the directive to complete the oath-taking within four weeks needed to be implemented, but he was unable to do so due to his detention under KAAPA. When the case was taken up, the court sought the government’s position and questioned whether the cases, including KAAPA charges against Sugathan, were not registered prior to the election. The court further asked whether these details were disclosed in his nomination papers and stressed the need to honor the people’s mandate following his election victory.
Earlier, the High Court had annulled the swearing-in of several BJP councillors, including Sugathan, for taking their oaths in the name of gods and martyrs instead of the constitutionally prescribed form. Although a Nedumangad court had previously granted him interim bail from 5 PM on July 13 to 9 PM on July 14, High Court clearance was mandatory under the KAAPA detention for him to complete the oath-taking process, prompting his petition to the High Court.
ലഘു വിവരണം
കാപ്പ കേസിൽപ്പെട്ട് ജയിലിൽ കഴിയുന്ന തിരുവനന്തപുരം കോർപറേഷൻ ബിജെപി കൗൺസിലർ ആർ. സുഗതന് ചൊവ്വാഴ്ച രാവിലെ 11-ന് വിയ്യൂർ സെൻട്രൽ ജയിലിൽ വച്ച് സത്യപ്രതിജ്ഞ ചെയ്യാൻ ഹൈക്കോടതി അനുമതി നൽകി. ജനവിധി മാനിക്കേണ്ടതുണ്ടെന്ന് നിരീക്ഷിച്ച ജസ്റ്റിസ് പി. വി. കുഞ്ഞികൃഷ്ണന്റെ ബെഞ്ച്, ചടങ്ങിന് ആവശ്യമായ സൗകര്യങ്ങൾ ഒരുക്കാനും മാധ്യമങ്ങൾക്ക് പ്രവേശനം നൽകാനും സർക്കാരിനോട് നിർദേശിച്ചു. ഭരണഘടനാനുസൃതമല്ലാതെ സത്യപ്രതിജ്ഞ ചെയ്തതിനെ തുടർന്നാണ് മുൻപ് സുഗതൻ അടക്കമുള്ളവരുടെ സത്യപ്രതിജ്ഞ ഹൈക്കോടതി റദ്ദാക്കിയിരുന്നത്.
(With inputs from MN)
For more details: Navamalayalam.com