THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A major controversy has erupted in Kerala politics following allegations that the Chief Minister’s office deliberately suppressed a sexual harassment complaint against high-ranking bureaucrat, Dr. A. Jayathilak, who currently holds the post of Chief Secretary.
The grievance, filed by a female employee of the State Secretariat, alleges sexual assault and inappropriate behavior by Dr. Jayathilak, dating back two years to when he served as Additional Chief Secretary in the Finance Department. Shockingly, the complaint, which details acts of sexual perversion, has allegedly been stalled by the Chief Minister’s office, with no First Information Report (FIR) registered or substantive action taken.
The accusations are not isolated. The government has received multiple complaints from various women officers regarding Dr. Jayathilak’s conduct. He is accused of summoning female staff for official duties only to behave inappropriately, sending obscene messages to subordinates, and specifically targeting divorced women with sexually suggestive communications. The extent of this behavior came to light after some of these messages were reportedly sent to the wrong numbers.
Despite repeated pleas from service organizations urging the Chief Minister to halt the officer’s promotion due to the serious nature of the complaints, these concerns were allegedly ignored. Service organizations further claim that the officer consistently ensures a particular female Personal Assistant (PA) is transferred with him to every department or position he moves to, facilitating his alleged misconduct.
Beyond the sexual harassment claims, the complaint also reportedly points to other grave offenses, including multi-crore corruption and ties to the mafia, painting a disturbing picture of alleged systemic cover-up at the highest levels of the state bureaucracy.
