Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Secretary Dr. A. Jayathilak has issued an order extending the suspension of IAS officer Prashanth for another 180 days.
The move comes despite All India Service Rules, which stipulate that suspension periods in cases not involving criminal charges or corruption allegations should not exceed one year.
Bypassing Service Rules
To circumvent this legal limit, the Chief Secretary obtained approval from the Central Government by initiating a new disciplinary action against Prashanth. Sources indicate that this new action was initiated because the previous suspension, having already lasted over a year, could not be legally extended further.
The Chief Secretary secured this authorization by sending an urgent document to the Central Government on October 24, 2025, informing them of the commencement of fresh disciplinary proceedings. However, the government order does not specify the grounds on which this new disciplinary action is based.
Central Government Approval
Crucially, the approval for the extension was granted by Dr. Rachna Shah, Secretary to the Central Government’s Department of Personnel Affairs. Dr. Shah is a Kerala Cadre officer from the same 1991 IAS batch as Dr. Jayathilak. Following Dr. Shah’s sanction, the Chief Secretary released the order.
The extension order, signed by Chief Secretary Dr. Jayathilak, was issued precisely one day before the current suspension period was set to expire. The suspension is now extended until May 4, 2026.
Prasanth N., IAS, was placed under suspension after he formally raised corruption charges against Dr A. Jayathilak, IAS—then serving as Additional Chief Secretary. Despite his written demand for protection under the Whistle Blowers Protection Act, 2014, the Pinarayi Government did not extend such protection and instead initiated action against him for ‘disrespecting’ the senior IAS officer. Later, in a detailed Facebook post, Prasanth itemised more than fifty specific serious allegations, including disproportionate assets and false or misleading disclosures in annual Immovable Property Returns filed by Dr. Jayathilak. Numerous vigilance complaints and CBI reports also are pending against Dr. Jayathilak. Dr Jayathilak who is closely associated with the Chief Minister Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan was recently seen accompanying him during party political fund-raising engagements in Gulf countries.
