The controversy surrounding the oath taken by BJP councillors in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation persisted on Wednesday even after 19 of them retook the oath in line with a Kerala High Court directive, with the Left Democratic Front (LDF) alleging that the fresh exercise did not fully comply with the court's conditions.

Mayor V.V. Rajesh administered the oath to the councillors, including Deputy Mayor Asha Nath, at a special function held at the Corporation office. Opposition members stayed away from the ceremony.

The fresh oath-taking followed a High Court judgment earlier in the day that invalidated the oath previously taken by 20 BJP councillors after the 2025 local body elections. The court directed them to take the oath again in accordance with the Kerala Municipality Act within four weeks and barred them from exercising the powers of elected representatives until then. 

LDF seeks scrutiny of fresh proceedings

Soon after the ceremony, the LDF lodged a complaint with the Principal Secretary of the Local Self Government Department, contending that the fresh oath-taking failed to meet all the requirements laid down by the High Court.

The front sought an official examination of the proceedings, opening the door to a fresh round of dispute over the issue.

The BJP, however, maintained that it had complied with the court's directions by retaking the oath in the prescribed manner.

High Court invalidated earlier oath

In its ruling, the High Court declared invalid the oath taken by the BJP councillors in the names of multiple deities and martyrs.

Justice P.V. Kunhikrishnan observed that the Kerala Municipality Act allows elected representatives to take the oath either in the name of God or by making a solemn affirmation. The judgment stated that the law does not permit an expanded interpretation of the term "God" and therefore oaths taken in the names of multiple deities could not be considered legally valid.

The court also invalidated the oath taken by BJP councillor Sugathan, who is currently in jail in a case registered under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA).

Judgment attracted national attention

The judgment drew attention beyond Kerala after it cited a popular Malayalam film song written by lyricist M.D. Rajendran while discussing the concept of divinity.

The court referred to the song to illustrate that, despite different forms of worship, the divine is ultimately one. It said, however, that this could not justify altering the statutory oath format by incorporating the names of multiple deities.

With the BJP insisting that it has followed the High Court's directions and the LDF challenging the validity of the fresh oath-taking process, the dispute appears set to face further legal and political scrutiny.