Officials violating service rules will face action, says Kerala Minister Rajan

Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Revenue Minister K Rajan on Monday said that government officials should follow certain disciplines while being in service, and anyone who breaches them would be dealt with stringent actions.

He said the government cannot not allow officials to work in violation of service rules and disciplines.

The minister was responding to questions by reporters in connection with some recent Facebook posts by IAS officer N Prasanth against his senior colleague A Jayathilak, which sparked controversy in the state.

Without naming any officials, Rajan said the government was viewing the matter with "utmost seriousness" and the Chief Secretary would soon submit a report in this regard.

"After getting this, the chief minister will take a stringent decision on this," he said.

Stating that officials are bound to act in accordance with the service rules and procedures, the minister said those who violate them would be faced with stringent action, whatever high profile positions they hold.

The government would take an unbiased stand on the issue, Rajan added.

Prasanth, Special Secretary, Department of Agriculture Development and Farmers' Welfare, recently took to Facebook to accuse Jayathilak, the Additional Chief Secretary, of "orchestrating baseless" news reports against him.

In his post, Prasanth alleged that Jayathilak had become a "special reporter' and was working to undermine him by spreading unfounded allegations through the media.

Attacking Jayathilak, the post read, "I feel compelled to share some important facts about Jayathilak, a senior IAS officer, that the public deserves to know.

"Although I generally avoid discussing government matters in public, there seems to be no alternative at this point. My intention is to reveal only those issues that the public has the right to know, in accordance with the Right to Information." The issue cropped up following a media report that alleged lapses on Prasanth's part, claiming that several crucial files from 'Unnathi'--an initiative dedicated to the welfare of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs)--had mysteriously gone missing during his tenure as its CEO.

The report also claimed that Jayathilak had submitted a report on this matter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Prasanth, who previously served as Kozhikode District Collector and in other top posts, is popularly known as 'Collector Bro' and had earlier posted on Facebook to refute the allegations against him.

In his post, Prasanth alleged that Jayathilak had become a "special reporter' and was working to undermine him by spreading unfounded allegations through the media.

Attacking Jayathilak, the post read, "I feel compelled to share some important facts about Jayathilak, a senior IAS officer, that the public deserves to know.

"Although I generally avoid discussing government matters in public, there seems to be no alternative at this point. My intention is to reveal only those issues that the public has the right to know, in accordance with the Right to Information." The issue cropped up following a media report that alleged lapses on Prasanth's part, claiming that several crucial files from 'Unnathi'--an initiative dedicated to the welfare of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs)--had mysteriously gone missing during his tenure as its CEO.

The report also claimed that Jayathilak had submitted a report on this matter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Prasanth, who previously served as Kozhikode District Collector and in other top posts, is popularly known as 'Collector Bro' and had earlier posted on Facebook to refute the allegations against him.