Kerala Govt Suspends Two IAS Officers For Breach Of Discipline

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala government has suspended two IAS officers N Prasanth and K Gopalakrishnan for breach of discipline. The suspension order for Prasanth was given late on Monday.

While Gopalakrishnan was suspended over the charges of creating a religion-based WhatsApp group, the action was taken against Prasanth for criticising a senior officer.

Prasanth, serving as Special Secretary for the Agriculture Department, was suspended for making derogatory remarks on social media against Finance Department's Additional Chief Secretary A Jayathilak.

The November 11, suspension order was given by the General Administration Department (GAD) of the Kerala government and both the officers were found to have violated the All India Service Conduct Rules of 1968.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan suspended the officials based on an inquiry report submitted by Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan.

"The government is prima facie satisfied that these remarks of Shri Prasanth N IAS, amount to grave indiscipline and that such remarks undermine the public image of the administrative machinery in the State. The remarks prima facie also have the potential of creating divisiveness and disaffection in the Indian Administrative Service in the State that can also affect service to the public," the GAD order read.

This suspension comes after Prasanth created headlines for making these remarks against the senior IAS officer Additional Chief Secretary A Jayathilak. The remarks made by IAS Prasanth were in violation of Rules 3(1), 3(1A)(i), 3(1A)(iv), 3(2B)(iii), 3(2B) (xi), 3(2B)(xiii), Rule 9 and Rule 17 of the All India Service Conduct Rules of 1968, the GAD order said.

Director Of Industries Gopalakrishnan Comes Under Scrutiny

Meanwhile, Director of Industries Gopalakrishnan came under scrutiny for allegedly creating a WhatsApp group of civil servants intended to divide, sow disunity and break the solidarity within the cadres. The Whatsapp group was also found to be creating communal formations within the cadres.

Mr. Gopalakrishnan came under departmental scrutiny for allegedly creating a WhatsApp group of civil servants.

Gopalakrishnan had filed a police complaint alleging that the said WhatsApp group was created and contacts were added without his consent by hacking his mobile phone.

The GAD order details that the State Police chief had forwarded a report received from the Inspector General and Commissioner of Police, Thiruvananthapuram City, which states that a State Police inquiry said there was no evidence indicating that the device was hacked.

"The Government is prima facie satisfied that the above acts of Shri Gopalakrishnan K IAS (KL:2013) in creating a Whatsapp group to foment division, sow disunity and break the solidarity with the All India Service Cadre in the State amounts to a violation of Rules 3(1), 3(1A)(i), 3(2B)(i), (ii), (iii) and (x) of the All India Service Conduct Rules of 1968," the GAD order said.

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