IAS officers' row: Chief Secretary submits report against N Prasanth to CM

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan has submitted a report against Agriculture Department Special Secretary N Prasanth to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The report outlines the events that have transpired thus far, including the public protests and the information shared by Prasanth on Facebook. The Chief Minister will now decide on the next course of action.

Prasanth had previously levelled allegations against Additional Chief Secretary Dr A Jayathilak, accusing him of ruining the careers and lives of subordinates who failed to follow his directives. In a Facebook post, Prashanth stated that while his duty as a civil servant required him to avoid criticising government policies, he was not obliged to refrain from speaking out against individuals like Jayathilak.

Prasanth, who has a background in law, remarked, "I don’t need advice from Jayathilak or any newspaper on service rules. Article 19(1)(a) of the Indian Constitution applies to me just like any citizen." His public comments follow news reports that Jayathilak filed a report against him to the Chief Minister over the missing files related to Unnathi, a state mission promoting SC/ST ventures. In a previous post, Prasanth had referred to Jayathilak as a "psychopath."

In his latest post, Prasanth claimed, "You only need to walk through the Secretariat corridors to hear about the honest people whose careers and lives he (Jayathilak) has destroyed for refusing to draft files, reports, or notes as he directed." Prasanth added that the truth could be uncovered simply by speaking to at least one person from each department Jayathilak has served in.

"Understand that someone is taking a risk and stepping up as a whistleblower because justice only prevails under public scrutiny in today's unfortunate climate. As an IAS officer protected by Article 311 of the Constitution, I can be that whistleblower. Who else but me, for the time being?" he said. While recognising the service rule against criticising government policies, Prasanth clarified, "There is no restriction on criticising Jayathilak or the Malayalam daily he supports."

He added that some had advised him to resolve the matter quietly with Jayathilak to avoid further conflict. "If I list the lives he has harmed, I will not be afraid. I feel compelled to end this and get justice for them as well," Prasanth asserted. He condemned advice to stay silent to "preserve the dignity of the civil service," describing it as misguided, especially in cases where officials create "fake reports" or make files disappear.

"Why hide this? The same logic would suggest keeping serious crimes like 'paedophilia' secret within regressive societies," he said. Declaring his intentions, Prasanth concluded, "Let me assure you, my dear friends and well-wishers, I know exactly what I’m doing. And I’ve decided to blow the whistle."