Kerala High Court Invalidates Oaths Taken Outside Prescribed Form for Local Representatives
The Kerala High Court ruled that elected local body representatives must take their oaths strictly as prescribed by law, either "in the name of God" or by solemn affirmation, invalidating oaths taken invoking specific deities, political martyrs, or other expressions. This decision affected 20 BJP councillors in Thiruvananthapuram who took oaths outside the statutory form. The court upheld the validity of their elections but directed them to retake oaths within four weeks to perform council functions legally.