Thiruvananthapuram: Revenue Principal Secretary Dr V Venu submitted a leave application soon after Chief Secretary Tom Jose issued an order transferring Survey Director V R Premkumar.

The cabinet that met later on Wednesday appointed Premkumar as the Director of Industries and Commerce.

Venu has been given a two-day casual leave, which is followed by two public holidays. If he insists on taking a long vacation from Monday, a new Revenue Principal Secretary will have to be appointed.

Decision to transfer officials, including Premkumar, was taken last week. Protesting the move to transfer his subordinate without consulting with him first, Venu had written to Chief Secretary Tom Jose and said that he would go on leave. There also allegations that messages, criticising the Chief Minister's Office, were put up in a WhatsApp group of IAS officials.

A section of the IAS officials also sided with Venu and declared that they too would go on leave. The IAS Association passed a resolution against the government move.

The Chief Secretary had met Chief Minister and Revenue Minister on Tuesday.

Premkumar, who was appointed as survey director last August, was removed from the post on March 4. Simultaneously, Dr Venu shot off a missive to his boss, chief secretary Tom Jose, asking him to reconsider the decision to unseat Premkumar as survey director.

In his missive to the chief secretary, Dr Venu said it was shocking that Premkumar was removed from the post “without any provocation or discernible reason”.

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