The Kerala High Court questioned whether IAS officer K. Biju was fit to remain in service over a controversial government order in the cashew corruption case and directed him to appear in person on Friday.
Kochi: The Kerala High Court came down heavily on IAS officer K Biju over the controversial government order issued in connection with the Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation corruption case. The court questioned whether he was fit to continue in public service.
Justice A Badharudeen observed that the officer's actions amounted to a serious challenge to the judiciary and warned that contempt of court proceedings would be initiated. The court reportedly spent nearly 25 minutes making strong oral observations against the officer during the hearing.
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The court questioned whether Biju had drafted the controversial order himself. It observed that the order appeared to have been written by the accused and simply issued by the government with a G.O. number. The judge further asked how the officer continued to remain in service, describing his actions as a grave misconduct that would not merit any leniency.
The High Court also criticised the fact that the government order relating to prosecution sanction had allegedly reached the accused even before it was officially issued. It noted that the prime accused in the case, INTUC state president R. Chandrasekharan, had held a press conference and publicly read out portions of the order that criticised the court, calling it a serious act of contempt.
The court expressed suspicion that the order had been issued to help the accused. It also mocked the IAS officer’s excuse that the court's strict deadlines left him with no time to properly study the case files before signing the original July 2 order. The judge asked a simple question: if he truly lacked the time to review the evidence back then, how did he suddenly find enough time to thoroughly study the files and issue a revised order just four days later on July 6?
Although the government later issued a fresh order removing the controversial portions, the court observed that the original order was insulting to the judiciary. At the same time, it remarked that it did not believe the Chief Minister or the concerned minister would have knowingly allowed such an error.
The High Court has directed K. Biju IAS to appear in person before the court on Friday.
Published: 08 Jul 2026, 01:49 pm IST
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