Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 6 — The Kerala High Court on Tuesday quashed the preventive detention of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillor R. Sugathan under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA), providing major relief to the BJP, which governs the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation with a slender majority.
A Division Bench allowed the petition filed by Sugathan’s wife seeking the cancellation of the detention order issued against him under KAAPA.
Sugathan, who is currently lodged in Viyyur Central Prison, can now be released from custody.
The order assumes significance in the context of the 101-member Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.
The BJP has 50 councillors, while the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) has 29 and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has 20.
Two seats are held by Independents, one of whom supports the BJP.
The BJP’s control of the Corporation, therefore, rests on a narrow one-vote margin.
Sugathan’s continued detention had added to the BJP’s concerns regarding maintaining its effective strength in the civic body.
His release removes an immediate challenge and enables him to resume his role in the Corporation.
The development also comes in the backdrop of another recent episode that had unsettled the BJP.
Last week, R. Sreelekha, Kerala’s first woman IPS officer and a former Director General of Police, submitted her resignation as a BJP councillor.
However, she withdrew the resignation a day later.
Sugathan had been detained under KAAPA following police action citing his alleged involvement in multiple criminal cases.
The cases relate to allegations of assault, trespass, vandalism, intimidation and disruption of an inauguration function.
The cases remain pending.
The BJP had fielded Sugathan from Vazhottukonam in the previous local body elections despite the pending cases against him.
His detention had also led to an unusual situation in which he was sworn in as a Corporation councillor while in prison after obtaining special permission from the Kerala High Court.
With the High Court now setting aside the KAAPA detention order, Sugathan is expected to return to the Corporation.
For the BJP, which effectively relies on a one-vote advantage in the 101-member council, the development provides significant political relief.