# Kerala Home Department withdraws letter aiding BJP councillor’s leave 2026-08-06T23:41:06+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Kerala’s Home Department has withdrawn a letter that helped BJP councillor R. Sugathan obtain six months’ leave from the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation council. Sugathan is currently held at Viyyur Central Prison after being arrested under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act. The Hindu reports that the July 20 letter rejected Sugathan’s request for escort parole but advised him to seek leave through the jail superintendent. It said his councillor post would be safe if the council approved the request. Sugathan had already missed two meetings and risked disqualification after missing another. The LDF accused the UDF of helping prevent the BJP councillor’s disqualification. ## Coverage - thehindu.com Tags: BJP, Home Department, KAAPA, Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/kerala-home-department-withdraws-letter-aiding-bjp-councillors-leave/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/kerala-home-department-withdraws-letter-aiding-bjp-councillors-leave/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.