Thiruvananthapuram mayor rejects councillor signature allegations

Thiruvananthapuram Mayor V.V. Rajesh rejected allegations on October 9 concerning the suspected forgery of councillor Sugathan's signature in the municipal council attendance register.

At a press conference, Rajesh accused the opposition UDF and LDF of working together against the BJP administration. He criticised Museum police for what he considered haste in registering the case. That is the mayor's position, rather than an established assessment of police conduct.

LDF representative S.P. Deepak filed the complaint. He alleges that Sugathan's signature was forged to record attendance at meetings on February 26, March 11 and April 27 that the councillor allegedly missed.

Rajesh said Sugathan attended those meetings. He referred to a photograph of the February 26 meeting but did not produce it at the press conference, The Hindu reported. He also said he had filed a separate complaint about discrepancies in opposition documents requesting a special council meeting.

Deepak rejected the mayor's explanation and repeated his allegation that attendance had been falsified to prevent the councillor's disqualification. He disputed Rajesh's comments about opposition documents as well. The reports describe competing allegations and a registered case, not a court finding of forgery.