Thrissur, July 14 -- In an unprecedented development in Kerala's political history, BJP councillor R. Sugathan, who is under preventive detention under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA), was sworn in inside Viyyur Central Jail on Tuesday, becoming the first elected representative in the state to take the oath of office from within a prison.
The oath was administered by Thiruvananthapuram Mayor V.V. Rajesh in the prison library hall following an extraordinary order of the Kerala High Court. The five-minute ceremony was attended only by the Corporation Secretary, prison officials and other authorised personnel, after which Sugathan was escorted back to his cell.
The High Court had directed that the oath be conducted...