Senior IAS officer V P Joy has taken charge as the 47th Chief Secretary of Kerala. He replaces Vishwas Mehta who retired on Sunday.

A 1987 batch Kerala cadre, Joy was on Central deputation before assuming the new charge.

He took over from Mehta at the Secretariat, official sources said.

Also a published author, Joy's tenure ends on June 30, 2023, the sources said.