Thiruvananthapuram: Dr V Venu and Sheikh Darvesh Sahib were chosen as the new Chief Secretary of Kerala and police chief respectively on Tuesday.
A Cabinet meeting of the Kerala Government made the decision. V Venu is currently Additional Chief Secretary (Home). He will serve as the Chief Secretary till August 31, 2024. Darvesh Sahib is the head of the Fire and Rescue Services in the state. His tenure is till July 31, 2024.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) had forwarded a panel of three officers from which the state government can appoint the State Police Chief. The other two top contenders for the Kerala police chief's post were K Padmakumar and Harinath Mishra, both having the rank of Director General of Police (DGP).
Significance of meeting
Today Cabinet meeting was the last one to be attended by the current Chief Secretary Dr V P Joy – who is retiring from service on June 30. The three previous Cabinet meetings were conducted in online mode as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was travelling abroad and had been taking rest after his foreign tour.
Even though all official programmes of the Chief Minister were cancelled till June 27 following ill-health, he decided to personally attend the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday in view of Joy’s retirement.
Incidentally, even though the selection of the new Chief Secretary and State Police Chief could be done by the Chief Minister himself, it is learnt that the matter was presented before the Cabinet.