Thiruvananthapuram, April 29 The Kerala government's decision to suspend senior IAS officer B. Ashok on Wednesday is all set to create a major row especially with regarding the timing of it.
This has taken place when the results of the Kerala Assembly polls will be declared on May 4.
B. Ashok, serving as Principal Secretary in the Sainik Welfare Department, was placed under suspension on charges of violating service rules by speaking to the media and criticising government policies.
However, the action has drawn criticism as it comes ahead of the declaration of election results and during the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct.
Ashok was quick to respond, saying that the suspension was effected overlooking the rules.
The state government has said that Ashok's public remarks, including his criticism of policy decisions and administrative functioning, amounted to a breach of conduct rules.
In recent interactions with the media, Ashok had openly flagged what he described as governance failures, putting the administration on the defensive.
The suspended IAS officer has had a strained relationship with the state government for some time.
During his tenure as Chairman of the Kerala State Electricity Board and in other key roles, Ashok had taken firm positions that often ran counter to the official government line.
His past transfers, including from the Agriculture Department, had also been viewed in political circles as punitive.
Ashok had successfully challenged one such transfer before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), securing a favourable order.
On another occasion, the tribunal, acting on his petition, ruled that only IAS officers could be appointed to cadre posts in the state.
Joining issue was another suspended IAS official N. Prasanth, who said this is nothing surprising at all.
"If facts are expressed this is the fate of those who do it. We have seen it before also. Civil Service officials have the right to speak out as people should know what's happening inside the government," Prasanth said, who has been in suspension for more than a year now.
The latest action has intensified debate in political and administrative circles, with voices terming it retaliatory.
With the state awaiting election results, the incident has added a fresh layer of tension, raising broader questions about bureaucratic autonomy and the limits of dissent within the civil service.
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