Biswanath Sinha, a 1992-batch IAS officer, has been appointed as Kerala's new Chief Secretary, succeeding A Jayathilak.

Biswanath Sinha, a 1992-batch IAS officer, has been appointed as Kerala's new Chief Secretary, succeeding A Jayathilak.

Biswanath Sinha, a 1992-batch IAS officer, has been appointed as Kerala's new Chief Secretary, succeeding A Jayathilak.

The state cabinet, which met here on Wednesday, decided to appoint Biswanath Sinha as the new Chief Secretary of Kerala. He will succeed A Jayathilak, who retires on June 30. 

A 1992-batch IAS officer, Sinha is currently serving as the Additional Chief Secretary, Home and Vigilance Department. A native of Bihar, Sinha had served in various departments like Environment, Finance, Sports and Public Works.

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Two senior bureaucrats were also in contention for the Chief Secretary post - Finance Secretary K R Jyothilal and Sanjeev Kaushik, who is on deputation.  Kaushik had communicated to the government that he would not be able to return to Kerala for a new assignment. 

K R Jyothilal, who has maintained a neutral stand across changing regimes, was also considered for the post. UDF government, however, prioritised seniority and chose Sinha for the top administrative post in the state. 

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The tenures of Jayathilak and former Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan witnessed evident rift within the administrative brass and were marked by suspensions of IAS officers N Prasanth and B Ashok. 

The UDF government which undertook an extensive rejig of IAS officers also reinstated Ashok and Prasanth while allowing disciplinary proceedings to continue.

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