Kerala Government Suspends Two IAS Officers for Disciplinary Breaches

Two IAS officers in Kerala, N Prasanth and K Gopalakrishnan, have been suspended for breaching discipline. Prasanth was sanctioned for derogatory social media remarks against a senior officer, while Gopalakrishnan faced action for allegedly creating a religion-based WhatsApp group. Both actions violated the All India Service Conduct Rules of 1968.

The Kerala government has taken disciplinary action against two Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, N Prasanth and K Gopalakrishnan, by suspending them for violations of conduct rules. The General Administration Department (GAD) issued the suspension orders after finding the officers guilty of breaching discipline and bringing disrepute to the administrative machinery.

Prasanth, who served as the Special Secretary for the Agriculture Department, faced suspension for making derogatory remarks about a senior officer on social media. His criticism targeted the Additional Chief Secretary of the Finance Department, A Jayathilak, and was deemed to violate several clauses of the All India Service Conduct Rules of 1968. The decision followed a report by Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan.

On the other hand, K Gopalakrishnan, the Director of Industries, was suspended for alleged attempts to sow division within the civil service through a WhatsApp group that aimed to create communal divisions. A police inquiry found no evidence that his device was hacked, countering Gopalakrishnan's claim. The Kerala government's actions underline its commitment to maintaining conduct and discipline within its ranks.

(With inputs from agencies.)