Thiruvananthapuram: In an unprecedented development in state’s local self-govt history, 19 BJP councillors of the city corporation retook their oath of office on Wednesday evening, hours after Kerala high court declared their earlier oath invalid for not conforming to the prescribed statutory format.The fresh oath-taking ceremony was held at the corporation headquarters around 4.30pm, with mayor V V Rajesh administering the oath.High court had earlier in the day ruled that the oaths taken by 20 councillors were invalid because they had sworn in the names of specific deities and other invocations instead of taking the oath “in the name of God” or making a solemn affirmation as prescribed under the third schedule of Kerala Municipality Act. The court directed all 20 councillors to take the oath afresh within a stipulated period.Acting immediately, corporation convened a special oath-taking ceremony in the evening. Nineteen councillors completed the fresh oath using the legally prescribed wording.One councillor, R Sugathan of Vazhottukonam ward, couldn’t participate in the ceremony as he is currently in judicial custody. He was arrested and placed under preventive detention under Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (Kaapa). He is expected to complete the oath after his release, in compliance with the court’s directive.This is reportedly the first instance in Kerala where elected councillors of a local body have been required to retake their oath after a judicial declaration.The controversy relates to the swearing-in ceremony of the corporation council elected in the 2025 local body elections. Instead of using the statutory wording, the 20 councillors had invoked the names of various local deities worshipped in their respective wards, including temple deities, while taking the oath of office. Among the invocations were Sree Padmanabhaswamy, Attukal Devi, Udayanoor Devi, Karyavattom Sree Dharma Sastha and Lord Ayyappa of Sabarimala, among other local deities. The practice triggered legal challenges on the ground that Kerala Municipality Act permits only an oath in the name of “God” or a solemn affirmation.LDF parliamentary party leader and councillor S P Deepak filed a petition challenging the oath’s validity. High court accepted his contention that the statutory format couldn’t be altered by substituting the word “God” with the names of individual deities and declared the earlier oaths invalid.Responding to the verdict earlier on Wednesday, mayor Rajesh said the corporation would comply with the court’s order without delay and resolve the issue. He announced that a council meeting was convened on Monday, during which the implications of the judgment and related legal issues would be discussed in detail.Deepak welcomed the verdict and said it reaffirmed that statutory procedures must be followed irrespective of political affiliation or religious belief. He criticised the BJP brass for deviating from the legally prescribed oath format and maintained that elected representatives were bound to adhere to the provisions of Kerala Municipality Act.
