Kerala IAS official K Gopalakrishnan, who was suspended on Monday for creating WhatsApp groups based on religion, repeatedly reset his mobile phone's factory settings before he gave it for forensic examination.

The order issued by Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan shows that according to the probe report of the Thiruvananthapuram city police commissioner, there was no evidence indicating that the device was hacked, as claimed by Gopalakrishnan. "It was also revealed that the officer himself repeated factory reset the mobile phone before submitting his phone for forensic examination," the order notes.

As soon as the creation of a Whatsapp group based on religion triggered a row, K Gopalakrishnan came up with an explanation that his phone was hacked. He filed a complaint with the police, saying that the WhatsApp group was created and contacts were added without his consent by hacking his device. This contention fell flat during the forensic examination, and it was also found that he had repeatedly reset factory settings before handing over the phone to the cyber forensics division.

This led the Government to conclude that the WhatsApp group created by Gopalakrishnan was intended to foment division, sow disunity, and break the solidarity within the cadres of the All India Services in the State. According to the order, it was also prima facie found to be creating communal formations and alignments within the cadres of the All India Services in the state.

His act was found to violate the relevant rules of All India Service Conduct Rules, 1968, and he was placed under suspension in compliance with All India Service (Discipline and Appeal) rules, 1969.