Bureaucrats are often seen as silent operators in public administration, but in Kerala, senior IAS officers are increasingly dominating headlines. Once again, suspended IAS officer Prasanth N (IAS:2007:KL) has launched a sharp attack on Chief Secretary A Jayathilak (IAS:1991:KL), this time over the controversial transfer of B Ashok (IAS:1998:KL) to the Kerala Transport Development Finance Corporation (KTDFC) as Chairman—an order that was recently stayed by the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).
Prasanth alleged that Jayathilak committed serious procedural violations and misuse of authority in the posting of Ashok. In a strongly worded Facebook post, he mocked the Chief Secretary as “George Sir”—a reference to the villain in the Malayalam film Thudarum—and claimed that the transfer order contained over seven distinct legal violations. “Any IAS officer would see that the order was issued either without legal understanding or with only superficial knowledge of the law,” he wrote.
He further alleged that Secretariat staff had been warned against criticising the Chief Secretary, with threats of facing the same consequences as him if they did. According to Prasanth, a detailed list of Jayathilak’s alleged violations would “outsize any high-profile police scandal” and reveal a shocking number of victims.
Highlighting what he described as double standards, Prasanth questioned why ordinary citizens face strict punishment for small procedural lapses while senior bureaucrats allegedly escape accountability and even receive promotions.
In another post titled “George Sir overruled ministers”, Prasanth accused the state’s top leadership of branding whistleblowers as anti-government, allowing powerful officials to operate unchecked.
The feud between Prasanth and Jayathilak is not new. Their confrontation dates back to early 2024, months before Prasanth’s suspension in November 2024. In March 2024, he accused Jayathilak of tampering with digital records in the e-office system, claiming that dissent notes and critical file entries were erased to mislead ministers.
Despite repeated warnings, Prasanth continued to post on social media, directly criticising Jayathilak. His defiance led to suspension on charges of serious indiscipline and violation of All India Services conduct rules. A review committee later recommended his reinstatement, but the proposal was overruled after Jayathilak became Chief Secretary, and Prasanth’s suspension was extended for another 180 days.
Since then, Prasanth has projected himself as a whistleblower, accusing Jayathilak of bending rules, suppressing dissent, and misusing administrative power—escalating one of Kerala’s most high-profile bureaucratic confrontations.
Join Us on WhatsApp