In an unprecedented development, a disciplinary hearing against an IAS officer will be audio-visually recorded and streamed in Kerala. The state government agreed to it following a request by suspended IAS officer N Prasanth against whom disciplinary proceedings are to take place on April 16.
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Further adding to the unusual nature of the proceedings is the decision for Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan to personally conduct the hearing. A govt-appointed designated officer has been normally presiding over such matters. Chief secretary’s direct involvement signals the gravity and sensitivity of the case.
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A 2007-batch IAS officer, Prasanth had objected to the manner in which the disciplinary process against him was being handled. He had raised the issue of constitutional rights, whistleblower protection and administrative fairness.
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According to Prasanth, the disciplinary action stems from social media interactions between individuals and doesn’t involve any violation of conduct rules. He maintains that charges against him are vague, based on unverified digital records and lack the support of any formal complaint. In his submissions, he claimed that no personal harm was alleged by anyone and that the disciplinary authority initiated proceedings on its own, allegedly under the influence of senior bureaucrats with whom he had differences.
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Prasanth had been suspended for posting derogatory remarks about his two colleagues-A Jayathilak, a 1991-batch officer and, K Gopalakrishnan, a 2013-batch officers and later described the suspension order as procedurally and legally flawed. He even accused the two officers of orchestrating the proceedings against him to settle personal scores.
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Prasanth virtually wants the public viewing of the proceedings against him and has asked for a copy of the full recording to maintain procedural fairness.
If his demand is accepted it could set a new precedent in administrative accountability within the All India Services framework.
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