Thiruvananthapuram: The ongoing conflict between suspended Kerala IAS officer N Prasanth and the state’s Chief Secretary A. Jayathilak has intensified with fresh allegations of file tampering and manipulation of the government’s e-office system.
In a strongly worded Facebook post, Prasanth accused Chief Secretary Jayathilak of illegally accessing and manipulating official e-office records to fabricate documents and suppress dissenting opinions. According to Prasanth, this tampering first came to his attention on March 12, 2024, and he has since produced what he claims is evidence to back these serious charges.
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Allegations of Fabricated Documents and Misuse of IT Systems
Prasanth alleged that fake documents were created to falsely show that certain officers had reviewed and cleared files which they had never actually handled. He stated that these actions constitute a blatant violation of the Information Technology Act and undermine transparency in critical government decisions involving large sums of public money.
The suspended officer specifically cited an incident where his written dissent on a confidential file was deliberately removed to prevent it from reaching the concerned minister. This manipulation, he said, created a false impression of consensus when in reality he opposed the proposal. “This was a deliberate attempt to mislead the minister by replacing facts with falsehoods and paving the way for corruption,” Prasanth charged.
Inquiry Panel Faces Challenges Amid Escalating Dispute
Prasanth, who has been suspended since November 2024 following earlier accusations against Jayathilak when the latter was Additional Chief Secretary, has been under investigation by a two-member panel set up by the Kerala government on July 22, 2025. His latest allegations further complicate the inquiry, raising the stakes for all involved.
He also criticized the state’s handling of his Right to Information (RTI) applications, alleging false official claims that no complaints had been filed or investigations initiated. Prasanth countered these claims with evidence obtained from the IT department, questioning whether the RTI Act is effectively being undermined in Kerala amid ongoing corruption and conspiracy concerns.
Read Also: Controversy Deepens Over IAS Officer N Prasanth’s Suspension Extension Despite Panel Clearance
Chief Secretary Yet to Respond
Chief Secretary A. Jayathilak has yet to publicly address the new allegations. Meanwhile, the confrontation between the suspended officer and the state’s top bureaucrat has escalated into a bitter dispute within Kerala’s IAS fraternity, placing both the administration and the investigation panel in a delicate and challenging position.
