Suspended Kerala cadre IAS officer Mr. N. Prasanth (2007-batch) has escalated his public stand-off with Chief Secretary Ms. Sarada Muraleedharan (1990-batch IAS officer) by demanding immediate resolution of his long-pending promotion. In a strongly worded Facebook post on Thursday, Mr. Prasanth detailed his recent meeting with the Chief Secretary following a formal hearing, reiterating his grievances and allegations against senior bureaucrats.
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Mr. Prasanth, who was suspended over serious allegations made against top officials, including Additional Chief Secretary Mr. A. Jayathilak (1991-batch), IAS officer Mr. K. Gopalakrishnan (2013-batch), and Ms. Muraleedharan herself, claimed that his promotion—pending since 2022—has been unfairly delayed. “As per rules, promotion issues should be settled in six months. I want to get my promotion. Each file should not turn out to be one where one’s life is at stake,” he wrote.
Rejecting any attempt to penalize him for his social media activities, Mr. Prasanth cautioned the government against initiating further disciplinary proceedings. “To initiate action against the FB post I made is foolhardy and against the All India Service rules,” he stated, adding that any additional probe would be unjustified.
In his post, Mr. Prasanth accused Mr. Jayathilak, Mr. Gopalakrishnan, and the Malayalam newspaper Mathrubhumi of conspiracy and fabricating documents, and demanded criminal proceedings be initiated against them. “A case should be registered for conspiring against me and for making fake documents,” he wrote.
He further warned the state government, saying, “The rule of law is also applicable to the Government… till now, I have not filed any case against the government. Please do not open an avenue for that.”
Significantly, he emphasized that his suspension should not be lifted until the core issues he raised were addressed. “My appeal is that there need be no hurry to revoke my suspension without addressing all these issues,” he added.
The Facebook post was accompanied by a popular meme featuring actor Mohanlal from the Malayalam film Akkare Akkare Akkare, symbolising self-reliance. He also referenced the famous dialogue “Nna Thaan Case Kodu” (If so, sue me), suggesting that threats of legal action by the state were misguided and detrimental to governance.
The controversy stems from an enquiry report allegedly prepared by Mr. Jayathilak accusing Mr. Prasanth of misplacing documents related to the Unnathi project during his tenure as CEO, along with attendance irregularities and violations of conduct rules through social media.
Mr. Prasanth has rejected the report outright, claiming it is based on dubious digital evidence and lacks procedural validity. He holds both Mr. Jayathilak and Mr. Gopalakrishnan responsible for orchestrating his suspension.
The situation is further complicated by the upcoming retirement of Chief Secretary Ms. Sarada Muraleedharan on April 30. Mr. Jayathilak is speculated to be her likely successor, a possibility that could further influence the trajectory of this high-profile bureaucratic dispute.
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