Suspension of IAS officers: Relief for Gopalakrishnan, Prashanth will have to wait

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Review Committee, chaired by the Chief Secretary, has recommended lifting the suspension of IAS officer K Gopalakrishnan, the Director of Industries. However, no decision has been made regarding action against N Prashanth, the Special Secretary of the Agriculture Department, who was also suspended. The recommendation report states that Gopalakrishnan’s suspension can be lifted and that Prashanth has not responded to the charge memo. The final decision on both matters now lies with the Chief Minister.

Gopalakrishnan was suspended following an investigation into the incident in which two WhatsApp groups- 'Mallu Hindu Officers' and a Muslim group- were created on October 31 with him as the admin. The investigation concluded that Gopalakrishnan had tried to create division and disrupt unity among IAS officers, a charge highlighted by the Chief Secretary in the suspension order. The police found no evidence to support Gopalakrishnan's claim that his phone had been hacked. However, the charge memo issued against him did not include serious allegations. The police investigation report clarified that no case could be registered against Gopalakrishnan. The Narcotics Cell Assistant Commissioner, Ajith Chandran Nair, stated in his report that no messages with hate speech were found in the group, and the case would not stand. Furthermore, it was challenging to prove that Gopalakrishnan created the group, as he had reset his phone and erased all the data.

Prashanth’s suspension arose from his sharp criticism on social media, accusing A. Jayathilak of being behind the allegation that he had withheld a file while serving as the CEO of 'Unnathi.' Prashanth denied the allegation of withholding the file, calling it false. Later, evidence emerged supporting the claim. The controversy escalated when Prashanth sent a legal notice to the Chief Secretary, followed by a letter with seven questions.