Thiruvananthapuram: In a significant disciplinary move, the Kerala government has suspended two IAS officers, Director of Industries and Commerce K Gopalakrishnan and Agriculture Department Special Secretary N Prasanth, amidst two separate controversies that have captured public attention in recent days. The suspensions come as both officers face scrutiny for actions deemed to undermine administrative unity and discipline.
K Gopalakrishnan, a 2013-batch officer, found himself at the center of a communal row after the creation of a WhatsApp group titled “Mallu Hindu Officers.” This group, reportedly formed on October 30, included senior Hindu IAS officers as members, sparking immediate concern among officials. According to government sources, the group was quickly deleted after several IAS officers flagged the potential communal divisiveness it could cause within the bureaucracy.
Gopalakrishnan later claimed that his phone was hacked, alleging the unauthorized creation of not only the “Mallu Hindu Officers” group but also a “Mallu Muslim Officers” group. He subsequently filed a police complaint, asserting that these groups were part of an orchestrated attack on his device. However, a police investigation concluded that there was no evidence to support the hacking claim. The official suspension order noted that Gopalakrishnan had performed multiple factory resets on his phone prior to handing it over for forensic examination, further undermining his hacking claims.
In the order, the Kerala government accused Gopalakrishnan of attempting to “foment division” and “create communal alignments” within the Indian Administrative Services in the state, actions that violate official conduct and harm the solidarity of state bureaucrats.
The second officer suspended, N Prasanth, a 2017-batch IAS officer, took to social media in recent days to publicly criticize Additional Chief Secretary A Jayathilak. His posts, shared widely, targeted a news report in Mathrubhumi that claimed Jayathilak had submitted a report about “missing files” at UNNATHI, an agency for SC/ST welfare programs, during Prasanth’s tenure.
Prasanth’s Facebook posts alleged a bias in Mathrubhumi’s reporting and accused Jayathilak of collaborating with the newspaper in an attempt to tarnish his reputation. He further described Jayathilak as a “special reporter” working against him. Prasanth continued his criticism by sharing additional news of a probe into Jayathilak’s past work with the Spices Board, citing alleged irregularities under his leadership.
According to the suspension order, Prasanth’s remarks violated the IAS conduct guidelines, and the government viewed his posts as “unbecoming” of an IAS officer. Officials noted that such public criticism not only undermined the image of Kerala’s administrative services but also risked creating factionalism within the state’s administrative ranks.
In response to his suspension, Prasanth maintained his innocence, asserting that his criticism was aimed solely at the media coverage and not the government. He stated that the report against him was “fake” and called for a more comprehensive investigation to uncover what he claims is a conspiracy against him.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who authorized the suspensions based on reports from Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan, emphasized the importance of adherence to official procedures.
Revenue Minister K Rajan echoed the government’s stance, stating, “Officials must work within established norms and protocols.”
