THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The tussle within Kerala's IAS top brass has taken a new turn with suspended IAS officer Prasanth N charging fresh allegations against Chief Secretary A. Jayathilak, accusing of file tampering and document fabrication in the State's e-office system.
In a strongly worded Facebook post, Prasanth alleged that backend manipulation of official e-office accounts was being carried out to illegally access files and suppress dissenting opinions.
He claimed that on March 12, 2024, he first caught Jayathilak in the act of manipulating documents and has now released what he describes as proof to back his charges.
According to Prasanth, forged documents were being used to make it appear as though officers had seen and cleared files, which they never actually handled. He said this not only amounted to blatant violation of the IT Act - a cognizable offence - but also undermined transparency in key decisions involving crores of rupees.
Prasanth has been under suspension since November 2024 after making similar allegations against Jayathilak, who at that time was serving as the Additional Chief Secretary.
More recently, on July 22, the state government appointed a two-member panel to probe complaints raised against Prasanth. With his latest salvo, sources say the inquiry panel now faces a tougher challenge.
The suspended officer specifically cited a case where his written opinion on a sensitive file was allegedly deleted to prevent it from reaching the minister concerned.
"This was a deliberate attempt to mislead the minister by replacing facts with falsehoods and paving the way for corruption," Prasanth charged, adding that the manipulation created the illusion of a consensus file when in reality, he had opposed it.
Prasanth also criticised the handling of his earlier complaints, saying that Right to Information (RTI) replies falsely stated that no complaint existed and no inquiry was underway.
He contended that he already possessed official documents contradicting the RTI response, thanks to evidence handed over by the IT department. "With corruption and conspiracy being treated as an 'insult,' is the RTI Act itself being made inapplicable in Kerala?" he asked.
Despite repeated attempts, Chief Secretary A Jayathilak was unavailable for comments.
With Prasanth once again crossing swords with the state's top bureaucrat, the controversy has snowballed into a fierce battle in the IAS ranks, leaving the government and the probe panel on a razor's edge.