Thiruvananthapuram: The government has ordered an inquiry against suspended IAS officer N Prasanth over allegations of making derogatory remarks about senior IAS officers on social media. The investigation will be led by Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Rajan N Khobragade and Principal Secretary, Department of Revenue and Housing Tinku Biswal. This development comes nine months after Prasanth’s suspension.

According to government sources, the inquiry committee was constituted following Prasanth’s denial of the charges outlined in a memo. However, the government has deemed his explanation unacceptable, and the investigation order states that his response to the chargesheet has been rejected.

Prasanth’s suspension followed a public spat with the current Chief Secretary, Dr A Jayathilak, stemming from reported differences of opinion. As per service rules, an investigation report should ideally be completed within six months of an IAS officer’s suspension. In this case, however, the probe has been delayed by three months, with the suspension being extended three times during the interim.