Kochi: High court on Monday directed the superintendent of Viyyur Central Jail in Thrissur to make the necessary arrangements for BJP’s Thiruvananthapuram corporation councillor R Sugathan to retake his oath inside the prison at 11am on Tuesday. Sugathan is currently under preventive detention under Kaapa.A bench of Justice P V Kunhikrishnan was considering a petition by Sugathan seeking a direction to the additional chief secretary, home department, to grant him day-long release on July 14 to enable him to retake the oath. While allowing the petition, the court observed that the people’s mandate cannot be massacred by a procedural lapse and that its intention is only to ensure that democratic procedures are strictly followed.The matter arose from an earlier HC judgment declaring the oath of office taken by 20 councillors of Thiruvananthapuram corporation, including Sugathan, to be void and directing them to retake the oath within four weeks, as some had taken the oath in the names of various deities while others had taken it in the name of party martyrs. All the councillors except Sugathan were re-sworn following HC’s direction. However, Sugathan could not retake the oath as he had been arrested and detained under Kaapa. Although he submitted a representation to the additional chief secretary, home department, on July 5 seeking temporary release, no decision was taken on his request, prompting him to move HC.During the earlier hearing, HC asked the state govt whether the oath of office could be administered inside the jail. In response, director general of prosecution submitted that the petitioner, being under preventive detention under Kaapa, could not be released. However, he stated that if HC so ordered, the state was ready to make the necessary arrangements for administering the oath inside prison.The court observed that “when the very pulse of democracy is made to collapse over a solitary, disputed oath, the duty of this court is to uphold democracy.” Accordingly, it allowed the petition. HC further directed that Thiruvananthapuram corporation mayor, along with the minimum required officers of the corporation, be permitted to enter the jail premises to complete the swearing-in procedure. It also directed that accredited media persons be allowed to attend the ceremony.