CEHNNAI, Feb 15: Suspended IAS officer N Prasanth has written to Kerala Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan, alleging bias in the disciplinary proceedings initiated against him.
In an open letter, Prasanth claimed that the Chief Secretary had not handled the matter fairly and urged her to drop the charges against him.
He also requested an in-person hearing, preferably conducted online with digital recording and live streaming.
Prasanth was suspended for criticising senior IAS officer A Jayathilak on social media.
Another IAS officer, K Gopalakrishnan, was suspended for allegedly creating a religion-based WhatsApp group for government officials.
Both were suspended on November 11 last year.
In January, the Kerala government reinstated Gopalakrishnan but extended Prasanth’s suspension for another 120 days.
In his letter dated February 10, Prasanth alleged that a complaint he filed against Jayathilak on November 14, 2024 supported by evidence was never investigated.
He also pointed out “procedural lapses”, stating that the Chief Secretary had demanded a response to a letter sent on January 18 by the very next day, January 19.
Although he submitted seven reply letters on different occasions, he claimed they were disregarded simply because they were not titled “Statement of Defense.”
Prasanth, a former Special Secretary in the Agriculture Department, further alleged that despite requesting documents related to the disciplinary action in writing thrice, they were provided only after a month’s delay.
He also expressed concern over official correspondence addressed directly to the chief secretary reportedly going missing.
A disciplinary proceeding demands impartiality, transparency, and the absence of preconceived notions, he said.
“However, the way my complaint against other officials was dismissed without a meaningful inquiry, while my defence has been subjected to procedural nitpicking, strongly indicates a predetermined outcome rather than a fair process.
“How disciplinary proceedings are being managed, coupled with the evident shielding of certain officers from scrutiny, raises grave concerns regarding the integrity of this exercise,” he alleged.
The government has not yet responded to Prasanth’s latest letter.
Last year, Prasanth accused Jayathilak, the Additional Chief Secretary, of “orchestrating baseless” news reports against him in a Facebook post.
He alleged that Jayathilak had become a “special reporter” and was working to undermine him by spreading unfounded allegations through the media.
The controversy arose after a media report alleged lapses on Prasanth’s part, claiming that several crucial files from Unnathi—an initiative dedicated to the welfare of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs)—had mysteriously gone missing during his tenure as its CEO.
The report also claimed that Jayathilak had submitted a report on the matter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Prasanth, who previously served as Kozhikode District Collector and held other top positions, is popularly known as “collector bro” and had earlier taken to Facebook to refute the allegations against him. (PTI 0
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