Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 31 The Kerala government has transferred senior IAS officer B. Ashok from the post of Agriculture Production Commissioner and Principal Secretary (additional charge) of Agriculture.
The state government has appointed Ashoka as Chairman and Managing Director of Kerala Transport Development Finance Corporation (KTDFC)
However, the transfer has triggered controversy, with Ashok reportedly unhappy over the decision.
The officer has decided to approach the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) against the government order.
Since the tribunal is closed for the Onam vacation from August 29 to September 7, Ashok has opted to go on leave until September 8.
Sources indicated that he is unlikely to take charge at KTDFC before then. Speculation is rife that the government's decision was linked to Ashok submitting a report that went against the interests of the Chief Minister's Office.
Though the government has not confirmed this, the transfer order has been widely seen as a fallout of internal differences.
In his place, the government has appointed senior bureaucrat Tinku Biswal as the new Agriculture Production Commissioner.
Biswal will also hold a full additional charge as Principal Secretary of the Agriculture Department and the Transport Department. This is not the first time Ashok has turned to the legal route to contest a transfer.
In an earlier instance, when the government appointed him as head of the newly constituted Local Self Government Reforms Commission, he challenged the order before the CAT.
The tribunal subsequently set aside the government's decision and directed that he continue in his existing role.
Ashok, a senior officer with considerable administrative experience, has held several key assignments in Kerala. His decision to legally contest the latest transfer is expected to once again put the state bureaucracy and government in the spotlight over the frequent reshuffling of senior officials.
The unfolding developments also highlight the recurring tension between the state government and senior IAS officers over administrative postings.
With Ashok set to pursue his case after the tribunal reopens, the outcome may have wider implications for the government's authority in reshuffling top officials.
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