Reining in civil servants in Kerala Premium

Recent incidents in Kerala highlight the importance of official channels for solving issues among bureaucrats

In the last few days, the Left Democratic Front government in Kerala has been grappling with two controversies involving civil servants. In the first instance, the Director of Industries and Commerce, K. Gopalakrishnan, caused a stir after he allegedly formed a WhatsApp group titled ‘Mallu Hindu Officers’. In the second, Agricultural Department Special Secretary N. Prasanth made some serious allegations on social media against his senior colleague, Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) A. Jayathilak. On November 11, following the submission of an inquiry report by the Chief Secretary, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan suspended both Mr. Gopalakrishnan and Mr. Prasanth on charges of official misconduct, neglect of service rules, and impropriety.

The incidents have provided ammunition to the Congress, especially since they come at an opportune time for the Opposition party — byelections to the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat and the Palakkad and Chelakkara Assembly segments are being held this month. On the WhatsApp group issue, the Leader of the Opposition, V.D. Satheesan, accused the State government of turning a blind eye to the infiltration of religious fundamentalists in the administration. He alleged that Mr. Vijayan remained a mere spectator even as bickering between key police and administrative officials spilled into the public domain.

Also read | Police fail to confirm hacking of IAS officer’s phone in row over religious WhatsApp group

Shortly after the controversy erupted, Mr. Gopalakrishnan reported to the police that his mobile phone had been compromised. Subsequently, he disbanded the group and denied that he had added officials to it. A police investigation did not uncover any evidence of a cyber attack on the device. Forensic examination of the phone also did not yield any relevant information.

However, it was Mr. Prasanth’s posts that gave the State government a more severe headache. The officer took to Facebook, alleging that Mr. Jayathilak had leaked official reports to the media and had also proclaimed himself the next Chief Secretary.

Mr. Prasanth was provoked by a news story, which said that Mr. Jayathilak had submitted an adverse report against him to the Chief Minister, accusing him of falsifying attendance and frequently failing to report for duty. The report said that key files on the Unnathi project, set up for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, had gone missing during Mr. Prasanth’s tenure as CEO.

Citing Article 311 of the Constitution, which acts as a safeguard to civil servants so that they are not dismissed arbitrarily from service, Mr. Prasanth alleged that Mr. Jayathilak had deliberately undermined the careers of upright IAS officers who had stood their ground against his demands.