THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Be it the UDF or the LDF, there is one IAS officer successive governments in Kerala have found difficult to bend. Every attempt to sideline B Ashok through transfers has repeatedly backfired, with the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) and courts coming to his rescue. Among his colleagues, Ashok is regarded as a go-to officer for advice on thorny administrative matters, especially when political pressure weighs heavy.
“His advice is often the best,” a senior bureaucrat admitted. Yet, Ashok has not always been in the good books of ruling dispensations. LDF ministers were reportedly reluctant to post him in their departments.
The government first tried to shift him from the post of agriculture principal secretary to Local Self-Government Reforms Commission chairperson in January. Ashok approached the CAT, which quashed the transfer in June, citing violation of IAS cadre rules.
What followed only intensified the tussle. Many senior IAS officials believe that the state government suspects Ashok’s role in sharing the documents of the alleged diversion of World Bank funds from the Kerala Climate Resilient Agri-Value Chain Modernisation (KERA) Project to the media.
The issue escalated after the chief minister’s office (CMO) issued a statement defending media freedom amid speculation of an inquiry. Notably, CMO’s explanation came soon after: The state launched an inquiry into the leak of a confidential World Bank letter, which it feared could damage its credibility with financial institutions.
“The government almost backed down after Ashok’s first CAT victory. But the KERA controversy reignited anger against him. The government then transferred him from chairman and managing director of Kerala Transport Development Finance Corporation. CAT stepped in again to stay the order,” a senior officer said.
Unrelenting, the state government shifted him to the personnel and administrative reforms department under the chief minister. Sources said that the expectation was that CAT would not intervene and Ashok’s influence would be contained by bringing him directly under chief minsiter. But the tribunal once again stayed the order — a move that reinforced Ashok’s reputation as an officer not to be messed with.
The UDF knows this well. In 2013, the Oommen Chandy government faced a setback when it initiated disciplinary action against Ashok for a newspaper article — ‘What if Modi Comes to Sivagiri?’ — which was seen as welcoming Narendra Modi’s visit. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in his favour, burning UDF’s fingers much like the LDF today.
During the tenure of this government, Ashok faced five transfers, with the last three orders being stayed by CAT.
Some senior IAS officers believe that the LDF government turned on Ashok to show the opposition that they are better at handling such officers. But sources said that the tide has shifted — many junior IAS officers are now closely tracking his case, debating every twist and turn in their closed social-media groups. “He knows the system and the rules inside out. His fight within the system has become a case study.
There are discussions in IAS social media circles across Kerala — and even outside the state — now revolve around whether the state government will dare to issue another transfer order,” a junior IAS officer said.
For the government, insiders admit, the Ashok saga has become a prestige issue. But officers are wary. “This is going to be a power tussle. The government will monitor every move he makes when he returns. Others, however, may be cautious about being seen in his company,” an IAS officer said. Whatever the outcome of the next CAT sitting, Ashok’s defiance is already shaping up to be a defining chapter in Kerala’s bureaucratic history.
Burdens of a bureaucrat
Successive governments — both UDF and LDF — have failed in their attempts to sideline B Ashok
Senior officers say the LDF government suspects Ashok’s role in the leak of files that sparked allegations of diversion of World Bank funds from the KERA project
When moved to personnel and administrative reforms department under the CM, CAT stayed the order, reinforcing Ashok’s uncompromising image
In 2013, UDF failed to rein him in when the Supreme Court ruled in his favour following disciplinary action over a controversial newspaper article