THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government is learnt to have rejected IAS officer M Sivasankar’s application seeking voluntary retirement from service (VRS) filed earlier this month. Sources said Chief Secretary V P Joy recommended that the government reject the application.
Sivasankar, the former principal to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, is an accused in money laundering and dollar smuggling cases related to the Thiruvananthapuram gold smuggling case. Ongoing probe against Sivasankar by various agencies, including the customs and enforcement directorate, and a pending internal probe have been cited as reasons for rejecting his application.
Sivasankar had been under suspension for one-and-a-half years following his involvement in the case and arrest. He was reinstated to service in January and given charge of the sports and youth affairs department. On Tuesday, he was given additional responsibility of animal husbandry, dairy development and zoo departments. Sivasankar’s service tenure is till January 2023.