BJP demands annulment of oath of Kannur Corporation councillors

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has demanded that the oaths of all the UDF and LDF councilors of the Kannur Corporation be declared invalid, citing the recent Kerala High Court judgment that voided the oaths of 20 BJP councilors of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation for deviating from the prescribed legal format.

BJP Kannur North district president KK Vinod Kumar said the Supreme Court verdict should also apply to the Kannur Corporation. He alleged that all the Muslim councilors of the United Democratic Front did not take the oath either “in the name of God” or by “solemn declaration” as prescribed by the Kerala Municipalities Act, 1994 and instead used a different form of oath. He was satisfied that the judgment of the Supreme Court in the Thiruvananthapuram case also applies to the Kannur Corporation.

He further alleged that TP Jamal, the senior councilor who first administered the oath before the district collector and subsequently administered the oath to other councillors, himself violated the legal format. As Jamal’s oath was allegedly invalid, Vinod Kumar argued that the oaths he gave to other councilors were also legally untenable.

According to a BJP leader, 24 councilors of the ruling front were sworn in against the prescribed procedure. He demanded that the oaths of the mayor and all UDF and LDF councilors be revoked and that the mayor and the ruling council resign. He said the BJP would submit a formal complaint to the competent authorities seeking appropriate action.

The demand comes in the wake of the Kerala High Court’s June 24 judgment declaring invalid the oath taken by 20 BJP councilors from the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation after they invoked the names of various deities, martyrs and political movements and other entities instead of following the statutory wording. The court directed the councilors to take the oath again in the prescribed manner within four weeks. As many as 19 BJP councilors subsequently took the pledge again.

Published – 26 Jun 2026 16:39 IST