Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan submitted a report to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recommending action against IAS officer N Prasanth for defaming Additional Chief Secretary Dr A Jayathilak through social media posts. The report also includes a recommendation for action against Industries Department Director K Gopalakrishnan, who was involved in creating a religion-based WhatsApp group that included IAS officers.

The Chief Minister will decide on the action to be taken against Prasanth. The Chief Secretary’s stance is that there is no need for further explanation, as Prasanth violated regulations by making public criticisms. There is a likelihood of disciplinary action against him. Despite the Chief Secretary’s warning, Prasanth continued to make defamatory statements against Jayathilak on Sunday, prompting the Chief Secretary to submit the report on her own initiative.

Colleagues had advised Prasanth to refrain from publicly insulting a senior officer, but he responded by saying he was unafraid and repeated such remarks. Prasanth argued that IAS officers should not publicly criticise the government, though he claims there is no rule against criticising Jayathilak.

In the case of K Gopalakrishnan, it is hinted that action might be taken on Monday after the Chief Minister reviews the report, as his explanation was deemed unsatisfactory.