The Kerala High Court quashed the KAAPA detention of BJP councillor R Sugathan, sparking a political row in Thiruvananthapuram. LDF leader S P Deepak alleged a secret UDF-BJP deal, claiming the government showed laxity in court. "The government failed to produce adequate documents," he said. The UDF rejected these charges.
LDF parliamentary party leader S P Deepak accused the government of failing to make adequate preparations for the legal proceedings.(Representative image)
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala High Court's decision to quash the preventive detention of BJP councillor R Sugathan under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA) has triggered a fresh political war in Thiruvananthapuram corporation, with the LDF accusing the UDF of reaching an understanding with BJP and the Congress dismissing the charge as baseless.
"The circumstances that led to Sugathan securing relief from the HC expose a UDF-BJP deal at the state level. The government handled the case with extreme laxity and failed to produce adequate documents in court," alleged LDF parliamentary party leader S P Deepak.
He accused the government of failing to make adequate preparations for the legal proceedings. "Since this was a KAAPA case, a third party cannot intervene in the proceedings. The government failed to produce adequate documents. Several pages were missing from the documents that were submitted, while many of the records forwarded by the home department were unclear," Deepak alleged.
The government's laxity was evident from the fact that Sugathan was allowed to take oath as councillor while in jail, he alleged. Deepak also raised questions over the handling of Sugathan's application for six-month leave from the council, alleging that the home minister and local self-government minister acted on the file before a decision was taken.