High Court invalidates oaths of 20 BJP councillors who invoked deities
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Thiruvananthapuram: The High Court has invalidated the oaths taken by 20 BJP councillors of the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation after they swore in using the names of various deities and martyrs rather than the prescribed official wording. The petition that led to the ruling was filed by LDF leader S.P. Deepak.
The court found that the councillors violated the statutory procedure for administering oaths and ordered them to retake their oaths using the legally mandated text. The invalid oaths were administered during the swearing-in ceremony held in the corporation council hall after the local body elections, where the 20 BJP members used phrases of their own choosing instead of the officially prescribed oath.
Citing the Kerala Municipality Act, 1994, the court said elected representatives are permitted to use only the prescribed expressions — either invoking God or taking the oath solemnly — and cannot append names of personal deities or martyrs. The bench emphasised that there is no legal authority for officeholders to alter the official oath text or to add wording of their own preference.
The court directed that the matter be remedied by having the councillors take the oath again in compliance with the statutory requirements.