Published Oct 05, 2026 | 12:58 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 05, 2026 | 12:58 PM
R Sugathan, the BJP representative from Vazhottukonam ward.
A fresh controversy has erupted in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, with the LDF alleging that a BJP councillor’s signature was forged in the council attendance register to show that he had attended meetings when he was reportedly in hiding.
At the same time, a UDF leader has claimed that he has received assurances from the Home Department that the matter will be examined urgently.
The councillor at the centre of the allegation is R Sugathan, the BJP representative from Vazhottukonam ward. According to Deepak, Sugathan, who is facing several criminal cases, was subsequently booked in additional cases and detained under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA).
As per the allegation raised by LDF parliamentary party leader SP Deepak, Sugathan was in hiding during the period when three Corporation council meetings were held and, therefore, could not have attended them. However, his signature appears in the attendance register of those meetings.
Copies of the attendance register obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act showed Sugathan’s signatures against the meetings held on February 26, March 11 and April 27, 2026.
Deepak alleged that the signatures were forged to create a record that Sugathan had been present.
He further sought a government and police probe into the alleged tampering of the official record.
He has also demanded the dissolution of the BJP-led council, alleging that the incident amounts to fabrication of official documents.
Meanwhile, UDF parliamentary leader KS Sabarinadhan said the Home Department had assured him that the matter would be examined urgently.
He also linked the allegation to an earlier confrontation at the Corporation.
During the council meeting on June 29, Sabarinadhan said he was examining the attendance register when Education Standing Committee chairman Chembazhanthi Udayan and some other BJP councillors confronted him and other LDF members.
According to Sabarinadhan, the BJP councillors allegedly attempted to forcibly take away the minutes book and prevent its examination.
He now suspects that the confrontation may have been connected to an attempt to conceal the alleged irregularities in Sugathan’s attendance record.
Sabarinadhan described the alleged forgery as a serious matter, particularly since the attendance register is an official record of Corporation proceedings.
He has demanded that the police establish whether the signatures were forged, identify those responsible and take appropriate legal action.
The latest allegation comes amid an already heated political atmosphere in the Corporation following the controversy involving BJP councillor R Sreelekha.
With the UDF and LDF closing ranks over the alleged forged signature, the BJP-led council now faces a tougher battle to defend itself.
(With inputs from Dileep V Kumar. Edited by R Rajesh Kumar.)
