Not just Sivasankar, a few other IAS officers too had taken the rap earlier

Thiruvananthapuram: Suspended IAS officer M Sivasankar, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday, faces a slew of allegations such as aiding the accused in a gold smuggling case and helping them stash the money procured through illegal means.

If these serious allegations raised by the probe agencies are proved to be true, then Sivasankar would head the list of IAS officers who tarnished the image of the government through criminal offences.

Earlier too, senior officers were accused in the Palmolein Case, Malabar Cements graft case and Lavalin Case.

KK Ramankutty, who was a revenue board member in 1972, was the first IAS officer who faced dismissal in Kerala. The action was taken based on a judicial commission's finding that a report prepared for land acquisition for the Kerala Agricultural University was flawed.

Prior to this, senior IAS officer Govinda Menon was suspended during the tenure of R Shankar's ministry. R Ramachandran Nair was sentenced by the Vigilance Court over corruption in land deals when he was the Chief Secretary.

Recently, TO Sooraj, former PWD Secretary, was also arrested and remanded in a corruption case over the flaws in the construction of the Palarivattom flyover.

Sriram Venkitaraman, who is still in service, recently secured bail in a case related to the death of journalist KM Basheer in a car-bike collision.