Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], July 31 : Amid uproar and protests by the Opposition UDF and LDF, the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Council on Friday approved a six-month leave for jailed BJP councillor R Sugathan, with the BJP citing a Home Department circular issued by the UDF government to defend the move.
Sugathan, the BJP councillor from Vazhottukonam, is currently lodged in Viyyur Central Prison in Thrissur after being detained under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA).
His leave application, submitted through the prison superintendent, was passed by the 101-member council with 51 votes, including the support of Independent councillor Sudheesh Kumar of Poundkadavu ward and Mayor VV Rajesh's casting vote.
Mayor Rajesh said the decision was based on a Home Department circular dated July 2, 2026, issued in response to Sugathan's request for escort parole to attend council meetings. Reading out the circular in the council, the Mayor said that while the Home Department rejected the request for escort parole, it advised that Sugathan could seek leave through the Corporation Council and that approval of the leave application would safeguard his councillor post.
The Mayor announced that Sugathan had been exempted from attending council meetings for six months.
The decision triggered protests from both the UDF and LDF councillors, who rushed to the well of the House raising slogans against the ruling BJP.
Under Section 91 of the Kerala Municipality Act, 1994, a councillor who remains absent from three consecutive council meetings without permission is liable to be disqualified. Sugathan's disqualification would have deprived the BJP of its slender majority in the Corporation, where it governs with the support of an Independent councillor.
Independent councillor Sudheesh Kumar defended his decision to support the leave application, saying it was intended to ensure the smooth functioning of the council. He added that a criminal case alone should not deprive an elected representative of his position.
Congress councillor K S Sabarinathan, however, termed the move illegal, alleging that the Municipality Act does not provide for granting leave through a vote of the council. He said legal steps would be initiated seeking Sugathan's disqualification for remaining absent from three consecutive council meetings.
CPI(M) councillor S P Deepak alleged that granting leave to a KAAPA detainee through a council vote amounted to undermining the justice system. He also accused the Mayor of denying the Opposition an opportunity to speak by switching off their microphones.
The Corporation Secretary informed the council that leave for a councillor must be approved by the council and referred to a 2024 Kerala High Court judgment that restored the membership of a judicially remanded panchayat member, holding that an elected representative should not lose office merely because they could not attend meetings while in judicial custody after making efforts to do so.
The Secretary added that since a complaint has been filed by Congress councillor KS Sabarinathan, further legal opinion would be sought on the matter.