In a rapid development that underscores ongoing administrative tussles, the Ernakulam Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has swiftly put on hold the Kerala government’s recent transfer order concerning IAS officer B. Ashok. The order, issued just one day prior, would have seen Mr. Ashok assume the role of Principal Secretary for Personnel and Administrative Reforms (P&ARD).
This decision by the CAT ensures the continuation of an earlier interim order from this month. That prior ruling had also stayed a government directive to transfer the 1998-batch IAS officer from his key positions as Principal Secretary, Agriculture, and Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC), to the managing director role at the Kerala Transport Development Finance Corporation (KTDFC).
The tribunal has scheduled the next hearing for September 23, indicating that the legal scrutiny of these administrative movements is far from over. By maintaining its earlier stay, CAT effectively reinstated Mr. Ashok to his former posts of Principal Secretary, Agriculture, and Agriculture Production Commissioner.
The tribunal highlighted a crucial point: the General Administration department’s latest order to appoint Mr. Ashok as Principal Secretary, P&ARD, was issued while an active stay order was already in place against his previous appointment to KTDFC. This sequence of events suggests a potential disregard for judicial directives.
Mr. Ashok himself had initiated legal action against the General Administration (AIS) department’s decision to remove him from the Agriculture department. He contended that the transfer violated the All India Services (Cadre) Rules, as it involved placing him in a position with a lower pay scale than his current cadre post.
He further alleged a “wilful disregard of norms,” pointing out that previous CAT directives had explicitly stated that appointments, transfers, and postings for IAS cadre posts should not be made without the formal convening and recommendations of the Civil Services Board.
In response to Mr. Ashok’s challenge against the KTDFC posting, the Kerala government had robustly defended its actions. It argued that the officer’s objections were “misconceived, factually misleading and legally untenable,” asserting that its transfer decisions were made strictly within the legal framework of the IAS (Cadre) Rules, 1954, the IAS (Pay) Rules, 2016, and other pertinent laws.