B. Ashok, a 1998 batch IAS officer from Kerala has has decided to approach the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) against his transfer from the post of Agriculture Production Commissioner and Principal Secretary (additional charge) of Agriculture. The state government has appointed him as Chairman and Managing Director of Kerala Transport Development Finance Corporation (KTDFC)
Since the tribunal is closed for the Onam vacation from August 29 to September 7, Ashok has opted to go on leave until September 8.
Sources indicated that he is unlikely to take charge at KTDFC before then. Speculation is rife that the government's decision was linked to Ashok submitting a report that went against the interests of the Chief Minister's Office.
Though the government has not confirmed this, the transfer order has been widely seen as a fallout of internal differences. In his place, the government has appointed senior bureaucrat Tinku Biswal as the new Agriculture Production Commissioner. Biswal will also hold a full additional charge as Principal Secretary of the Agriculture Department and the Transport Department. This is not the first time Ashok has turned to the legal route to contest a transfer.
Ashok had moved CAT earlier also
In January, the Kerala government had deputed Ashok as chairman of the Local Self-Government Reforms Commission. But then also Ashok moved CAT and succeeded in getting order in his favour of constituting as principal secretary (agriculture) and agriculture production commissioner. Incidentally, then also Kerala government had proposed to replace Ashok with Tinku Biswal.
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