M Sivasankar IAS officer is from Kerala. He is the Kerala CM’s former principal secretary. However, following certain events, he was suspended from his office. Moreover, he was also questioned before different authorities. This IAS officer has recently made it to the news. He was seen in both local and national news. But what exactly has he done? That’s the point to learn about. In today’s article, we will try to learn the reason for this officer’s suspension. Moreover, we will take a deep case study. This info will help you to analyze the current events in our country. Moreover, we will also know what process did M Sivasankar IAS officer was put through and why.
About M Sivasankar IAS Officer
Hence, firstly, we will learn a little about the IAS officer. Then, we will talk about the case he is said to be linked in. Further, we will learn the current position of the case and the officer. He was at the peak of his career. However, he experienced a steep downfall later. The officer is academically very bright. He has been an SSLC rank holder. Moreover, he also holds an engineering degree. Additionally, he also has a degree in business administration.
Finally, M Sivasankar became an IAS officer. He administered the districts strongly. There are many famous civil servants in the state. However, received great respect from people. He is a native of Thiruvananthapuram. He secured the second rank in his SSLC exams. Further, he completed his BTech in NSS Engineering College in Palakkad. Apart from being a bright student, he was also the college union chairman. However, the officer didn’t stop at this. He went ahead to pursue a Diploma in Rural Management. He pursued this from the Institute of Rural Management, Gujarat.
Personal and Professional Life
Thus, his academic life was excellent. He received praise from his teachers. Moreover, he was also a famous student among his peers. After his education, the officer started working at the Reserve Bank of India. Eventually, he earned the post of a deputy collector in the revenue dept. Later, he joined the Indian Administrative Service in the year 1995. He played a strong role as an administrator in Malappuram. He also gained fame when he served as the tourism director, general education director, and PWD secretary. Hence, he has served in many reputed positions in the govt. During his service as the education director, he brought many reforms in the sector. Hence, he received great praise.
Moreover, while he served as the electricity board chairman. During this, he checked power cuts. Hence, he entered into long-term power purchase agreements. As the sports secretary, he strongly conducted of National Games in the state. This ability to manage things so perfectly made him the CM’s secretary. In addition to this, he was also the state IT secretary. Initially, this was his boom phase. But soon it became the reason for M Sivasankaran IAS officer’s downfall.
M Sivasankar IAS Officer Gold Smuggling Case Background
Let us know to understand the complete case now. Last year, in July 2020, the officer faced suspension. He was on the post of secretary to the CM. However, authorities sensed a link b/w a smuggler and the officer. The name of the smuggler is Swapna Suresh. Around 30 kgs of 24-carat gold were seized from the Thiruvananthapuram airport. This happened on 5th July 2020. The gold was work INR 14.82 crores. CBIT and Customs seized the gold. This bag was meant to reach the UAE consulate in the city. Following, this M Sivasankaran IAS officer faced suspension. At this time, he was the principal CM secretary. He was accused of his ties with Swapna Suresh. A major culprit in the gold smuggling case. Read more on the UPSC IAS exam here: click now.
Before liberalization, gold smuggling was very much prevalent in India. However, with liberalization came the gold control act. Under this act, there was a ban on importing gold. However, one can import gold for jewelry. India is a major importer of gold. Moreover, UAE is the major supplier of gold. Earlier, India has faced current account deficits due to gold imports. The result was an increase in import duty on gold. This gave away to gold smuggling. Initially, gold theft was done via the sea route. Most of the gold smuggled came to Kerala. This is because there is a huge local demand for gold in the state. Moreover, the gold-making industry flourishes here. Thus, paying the heavy import duties wasn’t beneficial. Hence, people resorted to smuggling. Thus, gold smuggling was very prominent despite central restrictions.
Kerala Gold Smuggling
In the same way, gold was smuggled from Dubai into the Kerala state. The gold came under diplomatic immunity. Hence, authorities opened the bag with due process. NIA investigated the gold smuggling case. Further, the authorities filed an FIR under the UAPA act. Moreover, ED initiated a probe in this case. It is said that the gold was used for terror funding. However, Swapna Suresh got bail. This was because the customs could not file a case within 60 days of the event. M Sivasankar IAS officer has a close link with the major accused in the smuggling case. However, the authorities could not prove his crime. After deep investigations, the court heard the good smuggling case. However, M Sivasankar IAS officer got bail But, the ED requested the court to cancel his bail.
The officer used his influence to undo things. Moreover, he has also tried to prove that the allegations against him are false. That, the authorities has forcefully dragged him into the case. However, evidence shows otherwise. Moreover, his companion Swapna Suresh has admitted the involvement of the IAS officer in the crime. However, the probe doesn’t stop. As of now ED, NIA, and the customs dept are working towards gathering evidence.
Moral of the story
With this incident, we learn that corruption is very much prevalent in our country. Especially among the civil servants. Officers as a veteran and experienced as M Sivasankar has played with the state machinery. Moreover, the authorities sense that there is a close link between the CM and the IAS officer. Thus, there is a unity between the elected heads and appointed officers. In the initial years, this unity was fruitful for the state. However, eventually, it did not turn out to be good. Thus, we understand that it is not the right decision to place a single person in multiple positions.
The officer handled many tasks in the state. Moreover, he also implemented many state projects of great importance. This wasn’t possible without political support. Hence, the separation between the legislative and executive bodies is quite important. Moreover, we saw that there is less power in the hands of probing authorities like the customs. These loopholes in the system create a way for officers to perform fraud activities.
Moreover, it is not healthy to station an officer in one cadre for long. This creates a sense of comfort in their minds. However, this has its own benefits. However, it is equally dangerous. When a person gets comfortable in a place, the chances of fraud are higher. This is why the frequent change in duties and cadres are important. Moreover, the regular investigation into govt functioning is also the need of the hour. For more such biographies: click here.
FAQs
The IAS officer was granted bail on January 25. However, he was actually released by 3rd February 2021. The ground for this bail was that the customs dept didn’t file a charge sheet against the officer on time.
On 25th January 2021, the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate of Economic Offence’s court granted bail to the officer. Subsequently, he was released at a further date.
The case is quite unclear. Moreover, there were four prime accused in the case of gold smuggling. One of the accused has named the IAS officer in the case. However, the officer’s hand in the case is uncertain and not yet proved.
Editor’s Note | M Sivasankar IAS Officer
Here, we will conclude our article. In today’s article, we talked about M Sivasankar IAS officer. Moreover, we learned of the recent Kerala Gold Smuggling case. Thus, firstly we talked about the different aspects of the case. We highlighted the major events in the case. Moreover, we also named the imp people involved in the case. Further, we also talked about the different authorities probing in the case. Thus, we realized that our authorities have very little power. Moroever, civil servants create a good political fence before conducting fraud. Thus, any charges against them are tough to prove. Moreover, they have a great influence over the state machinery.
Thus, there are hardly any whistle-blowers in this case. Thus, ED, CBI, or any other authority must carefully plan the investigation. In the case of M Sivasankar IAS officer, the authority failed to charge a sheet. This gave the accused a chance to grab bail legally. Thus on bail, he can still plan his legal escape. However, as of now, he is suspended from his prime posts in the Kerala State machinery.
