Why is Kerala IAS Officer N Prasanth's Suspension Extended?

Thiruvananthapuram, May 7 (NationPress) There is no end in sight for the suspended IAS officer N. Prasanth, as the weekly cabinet meeting held on Wednesday has decided to prolong his suspension for an additional six months.

The 2007-batch IAS officer found himself suspended in November of the previous year after he leveled serious accusations against prominent bureaucrats, including Additional Chief Secretary A. Jayathilak (1991-batch), IAS officer K. Gopalakrishnan (2013-batch), and the recently retired Chief Secretary Muraleedharan.

Interestingly, Wednesday marked the first cabinet meeting attended by Jayathilak since he took over from Muraleedharan on April 30.

During his tenure as the Kozhikode district collector, Prasanth garnered widespread admiration for his efforts and boasts a significant social media following.

The dispute surrounding his suspension last November revolved around an inquiry report allegedly crafted by Jayathilak, which accused Prasanth of being responsible for missing documents related to the Unnathi project during his time as CEO, discrepancies in his attendance records, and breaches of service conduct, including derogatory social media posts.

However, Prasanth insists that the case against him is based on questionable digital evidence and lacks both procedural and legal validity.

He has further implicated Jayathilak and Gopalakrishnan in his suspension.

Another point of contention for the higher-ups is Prasanth's frequent public statements on social media, including his decision to disclose details of a personal hearing he had with Muraleedharan.

His request for live streaming of his hearing with Muraleedharan was denied. After the hearing concluded, he expressed on social media, “I highlighted my promotion issue, which has been pending since 2022, as regulations stipulate that promotion matters should be resolved within six months. I seek my promotion, and files should not be treated as if a person's life is at stake,” he stated.

“Initiating action based on my Facebook post is irrational and contradicts the All India Service rules, and launching another investigation is unwarranted,” he added.

“A case ought to be filed against Jayathilak, Gopalakrishnan, and Mathurbhumi newspaper for conspiring against me and fabricating documents.

“The rule of law must apply to the Government as well, and it should not act in a manner that forces the aggrieved to seek legal recourse. This is detrimental to governance. So far, I have not taken any legal action against the government, and I hope it does not lead to that,” he continued.

“My appeal is that there should be no rush to lift my suspension without addressing the issues I have raised,” Prasanth remarked.

With the government extending his suspension for another six months, the public is keenly observing his next steps, as he has already indicated that he is not overly concerned about remaining an IAS officer until retirement.