Published Oct 06, 2026 | 4:29 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 06, 2026 | 4:29 PM
R Sugathan.
In a major relief for the BJP-led Thiruvananthapuram Corporation administration, the Kerala High Court on Tuesday, October 6, ordered the release of councillor R. Sugathan, who has been detained at Viyyur Central Prison under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA).
A Division Bench comprising Justice Anil K. Narendran and Justice Muralee Krishna S. allowed the habeas corpus petition filed by Sugathan’s wife challenging his preventive detention.
The court directed the Registry to communicate the order to the Superintendent of Viyyur Central Prison by email.
Sugathan, elected from Ward 20 (Vazhottukonam) in the 2025 local body elections, was placed under preventive detention under the KAAPA, citing several criminal cases registered against him, including an attempt to murder.
During the proceedings, the Director General of Prosecution contended that Sugathan had been included in the police rowdy list since 2014 and that 22 criminal cases had been registered against him.
The latest order comes a few months after the High Court had intervened to facilitate Sugathan’s assumption of office.
In July, the court directed the authorities to make arrangements for him to take the oath as councillor from inside the prison after an earlier oath-taking was declared invalid.
Sugathan’s release is politically significant for the BJP-led council.
The National Democratic Alliance currently has 50 members in the 101-member Corporation council and is governing with the support of independents.
With Sugathan now set to return to the council, the BJP-led administration is expected to gain further strength at a time when its numbers remain crucial to retaining control of the Corporation.
The court order comes amid a separate controversy involving Sugathan, who has been accused of creating forged attendance records showing that he had attended Corporation meetings while he was in hiding to evade arrest.
According to LDF parliamentary party leader SP Deepak, Sugathan was in hiding 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 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.
(Edited by Fayisa CA)
Also Read: Fresh row in BJP-led Thiruvananthapuram Corporation over ‘forged’ signature
