THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, November 16, 2025 — Suspended Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Prasanth IAS has unleashed a scathing public critique, alleging the existence of a powerful ‘Political-Media-Bureaucrat’ (PMB) Mafia in Kerala that relies on secrecy to shield its corrupt operations and target dissenting officials.
In a detailed Facebook post titled “The Idols Are Breaking – ‘Oh Yeah!’” (വിഗ്രഹങ്ങൾ ഉടയുമ്പോൾ – “ഓ യാ!”), the officer directly accused former Chief Secretary Sharada Muraleedharan, IAS (Retd.), of engaging in a severe conflict of interest to protect a media editor, Manoj K. Das (Chief Editor of Mathrubhumi Daily and former Asianet News Editor), resulting in his recent suspension.
The Origin: A Sticker and a False Case
Prasanth IAS claims his troubles began when he refused to comply with the PMB Mafia. As an act of alleged retaliation, a case (Crime No. 1574/2021) was registered against him under IPC Section 509 over a WhatsApp sticker. The complaint claimed the sticker, sent to a woman journalist, was obscene.
The officer details that a thorough police investigation found the sticker was a 36-second clip from the 1984 film ‘Oru Sumangaliyude Katha’, showing actress Seema reacting in pain after being slapped by actor Sukumaran.
”The final report very clearly wrote… The emotion of actress Seema in that scene is one of pain, turning away after being struck on the face by the hero. That emotion cannot be called obscene,” the post states.
The police report, filed before the Judicial First Class Magistrate in Ernakulam (Case No. 214/2022), concluded the allegation was a “mistake of fact,” leading to the termination of the case and vindicating the officer.
The ‘Inside Game’ and The Accusation
Following his clearance, Prasanth IAS filed a criminal defamation case (CC 62/23) against Manoj K. Das and his team for spreading false news and character assassination. This is where the officer claims the ‘Inside Game’ began.
In August 2022, Sharada Muraleedharan, then Additional Chief Secretary, was appointed as the Preliminary Inquiry Officer (PIO) for the sticker issue under All India Services rules. The officer notes the file remained dormant for nearly a year until his defamation case against Manoj K. Das started to heat up, with the first hearing scheduled for August 9, 2023.
The post highlights a critical, two-day timeline:
- August 7, 2023: Asianet News (under Manoj K. Das) broadcasts and uploads a promotional, positive feature on Sharada Muraleedharan and her family, described by Prasanth as a “PR material.”
- August 8, 2023: The very next day, Sharada Muraleedharan “suddenly woke up” and held the first preliminary inquiry hearing. The first person she called and listened to was Manoj K. Das, the editor who had telecast the PR video and was the accused in the officer’s defamation case.
Prasanth IAS claims intense pressure was immediately put on him to withdraw his defamation case. When he refused, he alleges Sharada Muraleedharan personally questioned his motives during a hearing on September 18, 2023, asking: “Why are you pursuing the case against my friend? Why are you still going ahead with the defamation case?”
Suspension and Conflicting Reports
The situation escalated dramatically on November 8, 2024. Prasanth IAS was suspended by Sharada Muraleedharan after he published a detailed Facebook post exposing alleged criminal conspiracy and fake news involving Manoj K. Das and Mathrubhumi.
On the same day (November 8, 2024), Sharada Muraleedharan, with “evident haste,” signed and submitted the long-pending preliminary inquiry report on the sticker issue.
”That report is even funnier,” the officer writes. “Sharada Muraleedharan had the audacity to write falsely again, in favor of Manoj K. Das, on a matter that was factually incorrect and was already closed by the police investigation and accepted by the court.”
The officer concludes that Sharada Muraleedharan’s actions were motivated by a Conflict of Interest, citing Manoj K. Das’s long-standing role in building her media image across various publications and the employment of her family member at the Mathrubhumi Literature Festival (under Das’s current purview).
Prasanth IAS summarizes the alleged PMB Mafia playbook:
- Create a false public perception using the media.
- Attempt to trap the target using false police cases.
- If the court rejects the case, move the fight inside the system.
- Use “spineless officials” to execute what cannot be done legally.
The officer vowed not to withdraw the criminal defamation case, stating that the system requires public transparency to correct itself. The post ends with “… To be continued.”
