CAT stays Kerala government’s transfer order of IAS officer B. Ashok a day after it was issued

The Ernakulam Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on Tuesday (September 16, 2025) deferred the transfer order issued by the Kerala government on Monday posting IAS officer B. Ashok as Principal Secretary of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (P&ARD).

The CAT has stated that its interim order issued earlier this month, which stayed a government order transferring the 1998 batch IAS officer from his post as Principal Secretary, Agriculture, and Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC) and posting him as managing director of Kerala Transport Development Finance Corporation (KTDFC), will continue.

The case has been posted for hearing on September 23.

While staying the government order, CAT had directed that Mr. Ashok continue to hold his earlier posts of Principal Secretary, Agriculture, and Agriculture Production Commissioner.

The tribunal pointed out that the order by the General Administration department on Monday posting Mr. Ashok as Principal Secretary, P&ARD, was issued while a stay was in operation on an earlier government order appointing him as managing director of KTDFC.

The tribunal order earlier this month came on a petition filed by Mr. Ashok challenging the decision of the General Administration (AIS) department to shift him from the post of Principal Secretary (Agriculture). He argued that the order violated the All India Services (Cadre) Rules since he was being appointed to a post with a pay scale lower than that of his cadre post.

He had alleged that there was “wilful disregard of norms”, despite a directive of the CAT not to issue orders of appointment, transfer, and posting in respect of IAS cadre posts without the convening of and recommendations of the the Civil Services Board.

Urging CAT to dismiss Mr. Ashok’s application challenging the posting in the KTDFC, the Kerala government had termed his objections “misconceived, factually misleading and legally untenable.”

In transferring him, it had acted strictly within its powers under the IAS (Cadre) Rules, 1954, the IAS (Pay) Rules, 2016, and other relevant laws and rules, the government said.