Chief Secretary rejects M Sivasankar's VRS request, cites ED probe as reason
Sivasankar, who is Principal Secretary to the Sports and Youth Affairs Ministry was given the additional charge of Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development recently.
Sivasankar, who is Principal Secretary to the Sports and Youth Affairs Ministry was given the additional charge of Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development recently.
Sivasankar, who is Principal Secretary to the Sports and Youth Affairs Ministry was given the additional charge of Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development recently.
Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Government on Wednesday rejected M Sivasankar's request for voluntary retirment.
Chief Secretary Dr V P Joy rejected Sivasankar's request as he was facing a probe from the Central agencies including Enforcement Directorate in the politically sensitive gold smuggling case.
In the latest reshuffle of IAS officers, Sivasankar, who is Principal Secretary to the Sports and Youth Affairs Ministry was given the additional charge of Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development.
The former principal secretary of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had been suspended for a year and five months for his alleged involvement in the high-profile gold smuggling scam that rocked the state during the term of the previous LDF government. He was the 29th accused in the Customs' charge-sheet.
Sivasankar was suspended from service on July 16, 2020, after a government panel found that he was involved in the appointment of Swapna Suresh, a prime accused in the gold smuggling scam, in a government project flouting rules. The suspension was based on the service rules, according to which he could be kept out until acquitted.
In October 2020, Sivasankar was arrested and for 98 days he was in jail. He was released from prison on February 4 last year after which he got bail.
Sivasankar is accused of using his clout in the CM's office to appoint Suresh to a high-paying position in the IT department without the necessary educational qualifications.
The smuggling case came to light on July 5, 2020, when the Customs arrested Sarith, a former employee of the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram, for allegedly smuggling gold in diplomatic baggage destined for the Consulate.
Swapna Suresh, who previously worked in the UAE Consulate, and her associate Sandeep Nair were arrested in the case by the NIA from Bengaluru a few days later. Trouble started for Sivasankar after Swapna's arrest following which stories of the relation between the two came out.