Palakkad (Kerala) | A Congress councillor of the Vadakkenchery grama panchayat in Palakkad district took a fresh oath of office on Saturday after his earlier oath, taken in the name of former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, was declared invalid by court, officials said.

Councillor Sunil Chuvattupadam took the oath in the name of God at the panchayat office on Saturday.

Chuvattupadam was elected from Ward No 21 of the Vadakkenchery grama panchayat in the local body elections held last year.

He had initially taken the oath in the name of former chief minister Oommen Chandy.

The validity of the oath was challenged before the Kerala High Court, which directed the councillor to take the oath again in the prescribed manner.

The Kerala High Court on June 24 invalidated the oaths taken by 20 BJP councillors of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation as they had deviated from the legally prescribed form of oath or solemn affirmation.

Following the High Court order, while 19 BJP councillors took fresh oaths on the same day, the remaining one, currently in jail, is yet to do so