THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major setback to the government and Health Minister K Muraleedharan, the Kerala Administrative Tribunal (KAT) has stayed the health department’s order transferring Dr K J Reena from the post of Director of Health Services (DHS) for two weeks. In her petition, Dr Reena successfully pointed out blatant discrepancies in the transfer order to secure the stay.
She highlighted that the government order falsely cited a 15-day leave application, which she had never submitted, during an ongoing epidemic season. Furthermore, she argued that the order violated special rules, as an official cannot be transferred from the Administrative Cadre to a Specialty Cadre through a mere executive order. She also contended that there is no fixed three-year tenure limit for the post of DHS.
The Tribunal rejected the government’s arguments, which claimed that Dr Reena had completed her tenure and that she was being moved to an equivalent post.
Responding to the stay order, an unfazed health minister vowed to file an appeal, asserting that anyone working to undermine the government would not be allowed to occupy key positions. He added that whether Dr Reena had engaged in anti-government activities would be addressed in the higher court. “Officials who do not obey the government will not occupy their positions while Muraleedharan is in office,” he stated bluntly.
The government had revised the controversial transfer order within two days, completely omitting the initially stated reasons for her removal. While the earlier order cited the non-existent leave application, the revised version claimed the transfer was a routine administrative move ahead of appointing a new DHS.
She strongly objected to the misrepresentation, arguing that an official nearing retirement after a long and dedicated career deserves to leave with dignity rather than being falsely portrayed.
Dr Reena, who had faced the wrath of the minister over a range of issues, was shunted out from the top post and relegated to a lower-level position as the Director of the Regional Health Lab in Ernakulam. The minister had previously targeted the officer publicly, accusing her of undermining the government’s functioning.