Agriculture Ministry Special Secretary Prasanth Nair on Sunday intensified his criticism of Additional Chief Secretary Dr A. Jayathilak, alleging that the senior IAS officer had “destroyed the lives and careers” of subordinates who failed to adhere to his directives loved. In a Facebook post, Prasanth stated that he was well aware of the service rules and that as a public servant it is part of his duties to refrain from criticizing the government or its policies, but not individuals like Jayathilak.
Prasanth, who has a background in law, noted, “I don’t need any advice from Jayathilak or any newspaper on service rules. Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India applies to me as it does to every citizen.” His public comments follow news reports that Jayathilak has submitted a report against him to the chief minister over the missing files related to Unnathi, a state mission that promotes SC/ST ventures. In an earlier post, Prasanth had called Jayathilak a ‘psychopath’.
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In his last message, Prasanth claimed, “One has only to walk the halls of the Secretariat to hear about the honest people whose careers and lives he (Jayathilak) destroyed because they refused to prepare files, reports or notes like he had instructed.” Prasanth added that the truth could come out simply by talking to at least one person from each department where Jayathilak has served.
“Understand that someone is taking a risk and acting as a whistleblower because justice only prevails under public scrutiny in today’s unfortunate climate. As an IAS officer, protected by Article 311 of the Constitution, I can be that whistleblower. Who else but me, because for now?” He said Prasanth acknowledged the service rule against criticizing government policies and clarified: “There are no restrictions on criticizing Jayathilak or the Malayalam daily he supports.”
He added that some had advised him to resolve the issue calmly with Jayathilak to avoid further conflict. “When I list the lives he has harmed, I will not be afraid. I feel compelled to put an end to this and get justice for them too,” Prasanth said.
He condemned the advice to remain silent to “preserve the dignity of the civil service,” calling it misleading, especially in cases where officials make “fake reports” or make files disappear. “Why hide this? The same logic would suggest that serious crimes such as ‘pedophilia’ should be kept secret within regressive societies,” he said. While announcing his intentions, Prasanth concluded, “Let me assure you, my dear friends and well-wishers, that I know exactly what I am doing. And I decided to blow the whistle.”
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