The General Administration Department (GAD) has declined to provide details regarding the reinstatement of Kerala IAS officer K Gopalakrishnan, who was suspended for allegedly creating WhatsApp groups with communal undertones.
The refusal references a Supreme Court judgement in the Girish R. Deshpande vs. CIC case, where the court ruled that an employee’s performance and related records are personal matters between the employee and employer unless a larger public interest justifies their disclosure. The GAD also referred to an office memorandum from the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions, which supports this position.
K Gopalakrishnan was suspended by the state government on November 11, 2024. The suspension order highlighted concerns that the WhatsApp group in question was intended to promote division and create communal alignments within the All India Services cadres in the state. A police investigation initiated after Gopalakrishnan claimed the group was created by hacking his device found no evidence supporting his allegations. The probe also revealed that the officer had repeatedly reset his mobile phone before submitting it for forensic examination. Despite these findings, no legal action was pursued against Gopalakrishnan, although the inquiry suggested he had misled the police.
The RTI reply from the GAD did not cite specific sections of the RTI Act to justify denying information related to the suspension review committee’s recommendations. Onmanorama also filed a similar RTI request regarding the extended suspension of IAS officer N Prasanth, which was denied on the same grounds. Prasanth had been suspended for making controversial social media remarks about Additional Chief Secretary Dr. A Jayathilak. Both cases have drawn public interest, raising questions about transparency in handling matters involving senior government officials.
