T’puram: The BJP-led administration of the corporation has rejected allegations of irregularities in connection with the alleged forgery of BJP councillor R Sugathan’s signature in the council attendance register, while LDF parliamentary party leader S P Deepak said he would approach the court if no action was taken against mayor V V Rajesh.Mayor Rajesh termed the allegations as ‘false propaganda’. He said the allegation could not be dismissed as merely a political statement and that the relevant records could be subjected to forensic examination through legal procedures.“The attendance register and the councillor’s signature can be sent for forensic examination. Available visuals and dated photographs from the relevant days can also be examined through legal procedures. Let the court decide whose version is correct,” said Rajesh.Deputy mayor G S Asha Nath said no such incident had occurred on the part of the corporation administration. She said the attendance register is brought into the council hall before each meeting and taken back after the councillors complete the signing process. The register is closed immediately after the attendance is recorded, she said.Nath said Sugathan had signed the attendance register for the council meetings he attended and assured that the corporation would fully cooperate with any police investigation into the allegation.She said it was not clear whether the CCTV cameras installed inside the council hall were functional at the time of the alleged incident. The mayor and corporation secretary are the custodians of the CCTV footage, she added.Deepak, however, alleged that official records were manipulated to illegally grant leave to Sugathan, who is currently in jail in connection with a Kaapa case. He alleged that the mayor was involved in the alleged manipulation.Deepak further claimed that the attendance register was subsequently replaced during the next council meeting. He said he compared Sugathan’s signature available with the election commission with the signature recorded in the corporation’s attendance register and alleged that discrepancies pointed to forgery.UDF parliamentary party leader K S Sabarinathan said the home department had assured that a comprehensive investigation would be conducted. The UDF has also alleged that an attempt was made to destroy the council register during the June 29 council meeting to conceal the alleged irregularity.The Cantonment ACP is currently conducting a preliminary inquiry into the complaint, without an FIR having been registered so far. The police are expected to examine CCTV footage from the corporation and, if necessary, subject the signatures and related records to forensic examination.
