Letter favouring Councillor Sugathan; KAS Under Secretary suspended

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A Local Self-Government Department Under Secretary has been suspended for issuing a note that allegedly facilitated six months' leave for BJP councillor R. Sugathan of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, who is currently in jail in connection with a KAPA case.

The suspended official is Chithra P. Arunima, a KAS officer serving as Under Secretary in the Local Self-Government Department. The note she issued reportedly enabled Sugathan to obtain six months' leave from the Corporation Council, drawing criticism.

The action was taken after it was alleged that changes were made to the file in a manner favourable to Sugathan, with the government treating the alterations as an official lapse.

However, there is still disagreement over whether the lapse occurred in the Local Self-Government Department or the Home Department. The suspension was ordered based on a preliminary report that found fault with the Local Self-Government Department's Under Secretary.

To avoid disqualification for failing to attend consecutive council meetings, Sugathan had applied for escorted parole on June 22. His application was forwarded by the Prison Department to the Home Department, which then sought the opinion of the Local Self-Government Department.

In an unofficial communication to the Home Department, the Local Self-Government Department stated that the parole request could be rejected. It also indicated that Sugathan could instead submit a leave application to avoid disqualification from the council.

On July 20, while rejecting the parole request, the Home Department forwarded the unofficial note unchanged to the prison superintendent. Citing that communication, the Corporation Council approved six months' leave for Sugathan despite opposition protests.