“First suspension of my life”: Suspended Kerala IAS officer Prasanth denies violating rules
Responding to his suspension, IAS officer N. Prasanth denies intentionally violating rules, citing freedom of expression.
Thiruvananthapuram: Suspended IAS officer N. Prasanth has stated that he will respond to the suspension order once he receives it. In his initial comments, he denied intentionally violating any rules and emphasized that he was exercising his constitutional right to freedom of expression. Prasanth further clarified that he had not personally insulted anyone and that he was entitled to use language freely.
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Prasanth mentioned that this was the first suspension of his life, adding that he had never faced such action even during his school or college days. He argued that it was unjust to target someone simply for expressing their views.
The suspension of N. Prasanth, who was serving as the Special Secretary in the Agriculture Department, was issued in connection with alleged infighting among IAS officers and for insulting a senior official on social media. The suspension order, issued by Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan, accuses Prasanth of serious disciplinary violations and actions that undermined the integrity of the administrative service.
The order specifically criticizes Prasanth for his comments on social media directed at Additional Chief Secretary and others, which according to the order, publicly embarrassed the administrative service. In response to the suspension, Prasanth is reportedly preparing to approach the Administrative Tribunal, challenging the decision on the grounds that he was not issued a show-cause notice before the suspension.
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