IAS officer Prasanth’s suspension extended for six months

Thiruvananthapuram: The suspension of IAS officer N Prasanth has been extended by another 180 days, till May 6, 2026. Chief secretary A Jayathilak issued the order on Nov 4. Prasanth had completed one year under suspension. As per All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, suspension of an officer in cases not involving criminal or corruption charges cannot ordinarily exceed one year. However, to extend the period further, state govt reportedly informed Centre that a fresh disciplinary proceeding had been initiated against Prasanth.This move was apparently intended to overcome the rule restriction, as a suspension cannot be prolonged beyond one year without citing new grounds, sources said. The govt order, however, does not specify the basis for the fresh disciplinary action. On Oct 24, the chief secretary wrote to department of personnel and training (DoPT) seeking approval, citing the new proceedings.The chief secretary issued the extension order a day before the current suspension period was to expire, after obtaining concurrence from Centre, citing fresh charges. The legal tenability of the latest extension remains uncertain as no new charge has been explicitly mentioned in the order. Prasanth was originally suspended for making remarks against Jayathilak and former scheduled tribes development director K Gopalakrishnan on social media.