Why were the Kerala IAS Officers Suspended?

Table of Contents

Reasons For Suspension of IAS Officers

Prashant:
- Charges: Allegedly made “derogatory statements” on social media against A. Jayathilak IAS, Additional Chief Secretary.
- Violations: Accused of undermining the public image of the administrative machinery, violating discipline, and conduct unbecoming of an IAS officer.
- Defence: Prashant claimed Jayathilak orchestrated baseless news reports against him and refuted the allegations.
Gopalakrishnan:
- Charges: Allegedly created a religion-based WhatsApp group, ‘Mallu Hindu Officers’, that fostered communal disunity among IAS officers.
- Defence: Claimed the group was created after his phone was hacked.
- Inquiry Findings: Police found no evidence of hacking; the officer had performed a factory reset on the phone before handing it to the police, raising concerns about tampering.

Core Values: Officers must maintain high standards of ethics, honesty, integrity, political neutrality, accountability, and transparency.
- Upholding constitutional values is paramount.
Regulations on Public Communication: Officers may use public media only in the bona fide discharge of duties.
- They must not criticise government policies through public communication.
- Prior government sanction is required for seeking vindication via court or press.
‘Unbecoming of a Member of the Service’: A general clause encompassing actions deemed inappropriate for a civil servant.

Lack of Social Media Guidelines: The rules do not explicitly address acceptable use of social media by officers, leading to ambiguities.
Ambiguity in the ‘Unbecoming’ Clause: The omnibus clause remains open to misuse or subjective interpretation.
- Enforcement is often by senior officers and the government, potentially creating power imbalances against junior officers.
Evolving Nature of Rules: The AIS rules have expanded over time, regulating both private and official lives, but lack specificity in areas like digital conduct.

Explicit Social Media Rules: Introduce clear guidelines for:
- Official content permissible for posting.
- Rights of officers to defend against defamatory campaigns concerning official work.
Clarify the ‘Unbecoming’ Clause: Provide an illustrative list of examples based on past precedents to guide appropriate behaviour.
Promoting Responsible Anonymity: Officers should maintain anonymity while disseminating information, avoiding personal publicity while using social media for governmental initiatives.