THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government has extended the suspension of bureaucrat N Prasanth, citing violations of service conduct rules. The order was issued by Chief Secretary A Jayathilak on May 2, just four days before the end of Prasanth’s existing suspension period on May 6.
The development comes close on the heels of another senior IAS officer, B Ashok, being placed under suspension for criticising the government’s policies on social media, underscoring continuing friction within the state’s top bureaucratic ranks.
According to the order, Prasanth made a series of public statements against the state government during March and April without prior permission.
It noted that his remarks across print, visual, electronic and social media platforms amounted to a violation of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules and did not align with the political neutrality expected of civil servants. A formal inquiry is likely to be initiated.
Prasanth, who has been under suspension since November 2024, had earlier levelled serious allegations against the chief secretary, including claims of file tampering and document fabrication within the state’s e-office system.
Soon after the extension of his suspension became public, he shared a Malayalam meme on social media, reading ‘Enthu karyathinu (For what purpose)? Later, Prasanth addressed the media in Kochi, sharply criticising the chief minister and the chief secretary. Alleging that “personal egos” were driving repeated disciplinary actions against him, he claimed the existence of a lobby within the government that supports dishonest practices.
“I have not received any reason for the disciplinary action against me except that it is based on the complaint of a random individual. There was no notice issued, and not even a copy of the complaint was handed over to me. There was no hearing conducted following my previous suspension, as per the rules,” Prasanth said.
He said there had been an issue of malpractice involving crores of rupees within the SC/ST department. “I flagged a corrupt file being submitted to Minister K Radhakrishnan through Dr A Jayathilak. The files were revoked from me by corrupting the system. People like these want dishonesty to prevail within the government and silence anyone who objects,” he said.
(With inputs from Kochi)
