THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: V A Arun Kumar, son of Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan, has been removed from the independent charge of the Information Technology (IT) Department of the Institute of Human Resources Development (IHRD).
The move comes when the final inquiry report by the Assembly panel is scheduled to be submitted to Speaker G Karthikeyan on Thursday.
The IHRD issued an order relieving Arun Kumar and handed over the IT Department charge to Deputy Director Vani Prasad.
The order said the IHRD, reeling under severe financial crisis, is looking to strengthen the IT Dept. Arun was in charge of the dept since its inception in 1998.
The Assembly panel, chaired by V D Satheesan, which probed the alleged illegal posting and promotion of Arun Kumar to the posts of IHRD Assistant Director and ICT Additional Director had found enough proof to establish the charges.
Arun Kumar was appointed as the Assistant Director of the IHRD in 1997 during the tenure of the Nayanar Government. Before the one-year probation period ended, he was made Coirfed MD.
After two years, he was made Principal of the IHRD College at Kattappana based on his claim that he had a seven-year teaching experience when the post was reserved for those working in the IHRD. On the same day of appointment as the Principal, he was also given the charge of Joint Director. After three years, Arun Kumar was given the permanent charge, again overriding the applications of IHRD college Principals.
Later, he became Director of the Finishing School of the IT Department, a portfolio under the then Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan.
The allegation against Arunkumar was that he also made his way to the seat of Additional Director of IHRD, which was a created post. When two senior Principals of IHRD colleges contested it, they were also accommodated by creating two more posts of Additional Directors.
