THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major relief for K Gopalakrishnan IAS, who was suspended for allegedly creating a WhatsApp group for Hindu bureaucrats, the police team that conducted a preliminary inquiry has reported that there is no legal ground to register a case against the officer.
The report filed by Narcotic Cell ACP Aji Chandran Nair said the officer did not post any polarising content in the WhatsApp group that he created. Also, the members of the group did not file any police complaint against Gopalakrishnan, the report said.
The report was filed before City Police Commissioner G Sparjan Kumar on Monday. To substantiate its findings, the preliminary inquiry report cited several Supreme Court verdicts.
The police had initiated a preliminary inquiry based on a complaint filed by a Congress leader from Kollam.
The police decided to conduct the preliminary inquiry after the district government pleader gave a legal opinion that legal action could be initiated against the bureaucrat. The police plan was to register a case if the preliminary inquiry suggested so.
The state government, in its suspension order, had said that Gopalakrishnan’s action was prima facie intended to foment divisions and discord among the civil servants on communal lines and that was a violation of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules.
Gopalakrishnan was issued a charge memo by Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan on Friday directing him to file his response to the allegations within 30 days.
Gopalakrishnan had landed in a soup for creating a WhatsApp group ‘Mallu Hindu Off’ with Hindu bureaucrats as members.