Transfer of Dr B Ashok stayed, another setback for state government 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government has suffered another setback in the transfer of Dr B Ashok, principal secretary, agriculture department. The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has stayed the transfer of the officer. Ashok had approached the CAT against the transfer. Ashok was transferred from the post of principal secretary, agriculture department, to the post of personnel and administrative reforms department, principal secretary, yesterday.

The CAT had stayed the transfer of Ashok as the KTDFC Chairman on September 8. Ashok, who was on leave following his transfer to KTDFC, took charge of the agriculture department on Tuesday following the tribunal's verdict. He was transferred again yesterday while the tribunal was scheduled to hear the next arguments in the case today. The new order also states that his earlier transfer to KTDFC has been cancelled.

Tinku Biswal, who replaced Ashok as the principal secretary of the agriculture department, has been appointed as the principal secretary of the local government department. The charge of the agriculture department has not been given to anyone else. Ashok was earlier transferred from the agriculture department to the KTDFC Chairman after he filed a report implicating the chief minister's office in connection with the leak of information about the Kera project. The tribunal had also quashed the order transferring Ashok to the local government reforms commission last January.