Thiruvananthapuram, Dec. 8 – The suspended IAS officer N. Prasanth has lodged a number of serious accusations against Kerala’s Chief Secretary, Dr. A. Jayathilak. Prasanth claims that Jayathilak repeatedly issues government orders without first getting approval from the relevant minister, a move that breaches the Rules of Business.
In a strongly worded post on his social‑media profile, Prasanth said that this was not a one‑off occurrence but part of a larger pattern of administrative overreach. He referenced recent media reports where Jayathilak supposedly acted unilaterally, sending no files for ministerial ratification.
Prasanth also pointed to an earlier case involving Dr. B. Ashok, in which a file was only forwarded to the Chief Minister after the issue came before the courts. He recalled that while Jayathilak was heading the SC/ST Department, Minister K. Radhakrishnan kept tight control over file movements. Yet, during the minister’s absence for election campaigning, Jayathilak allegedly tried to push “illegal actions” forward as if he were the minister himself.
According to Prasanth, it was his objection to these acts that eventually triggered disciplinary proceedings against him. He added that on March 16 2024, IAS officer Gopalakrishnan was named CEO of the Unnathi mission without any knowledge of the department minister or the Chief Minister. Government records, he claims, show that Jayathilak orchestrated both the appointment and the transfer of files to this new post. Subsequent media reports noted that those very files later went missing.
Prasanth also stated that secretariat staff had told him Jayathilak often issued unilateral orders in departments lacking strong administrative experience. He cited the controversial tree‑felling order at Muttill as an example of such unilateral decision‑making. “Orders issued without delegated authority have no legal validity,” Prasanth said, adding that a court would not uphold them.
He urged that all such orders be revoked and that legal action be taken. In a final, sharp remark, Prasanth condemned what he called a culture where bureaucrats “appropriate political power through flattery,” claiming that such conduct erodes the ethical foundation of the civil services.
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