Thiruvananthapuram: With illegal appointments landing bureaucrats in trouble in the state, a WhatsApp group of IAS officers has come out with a direction from senior official cautioning colleagues against signing files containing such appointments.

The message cautioned those officers who put their signatures on illegal files without thinking about the consequences. Such officials will have to face legal issues in future.

The warning is contained in the WhatsApp message posted in the group by a senior officer of the rank of additional chief secretary. He said there are several files before him containing recommendations for regularizing the services of temporary staff. There is no need to accept or consider illegal recommendations coming from above.

Some other members of the group have pointed to the experience of the officers who are now caught in legal issues due to such appointments.

With the tenure of the LDF government coming to a close, there is a move to regularize the services of Left supporters in various government departments. Only those files which come with a Public Service Commission recommendation for regularizing the jobs should be considered and decisions should be taken only on such recommendations, it said.

The discussions are going on actively on the WhatsApp group in which the chief secretary is also a member.