Senior IAS officer B. Ashok has been placed on suspension for criticising the Kerala government's policies on social media.
The 1998 batch officer is currently Vice-Chancellor, Kerala Agricultural University, and Principal Secretary, Sainik Welfare.
Mr. Ashok’s earlier run-ins with the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government over postings had grabbed headlines on several occasions.
Earlier government orders postings Mr. Ashok as the chairperson of the Local Self-Government Reforms Commission, and then as chairman and managing director (CMD) of the Kerala Transport Development Finance Corporation (KTDFC) had been quashed by the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).
In September 2025, the government also issued orders posting him as Principal Secretary, Personnel and Administrative Reforms department, ignoring a stay on the earlier government order appointing him as KTDFC CMD. The CAT had invalidated all these transfer orders. On March 13, orders were issued transferring and posting Mr. Ashok as Principal Secretary, Sainik Welfare, with full additional charge of the Youth Affairs department.
