A delegation of the Tamil Nadu IAS Officers’ Association on Friday called on Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami to convey the body’s “serious concern” over the public comments of two Ministers on the role of Principal Secretary (Health) J. Radhakrishnan in the medical treatment of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
The delegation, led by president T.V. Somanathan, requested the Chief Minister for “appropriate action.”
The meeting was held against the backdrop of Law Minister C.Ve. Shanmugam criticising Dr. Radhakrishnan on the treatment and demanding an independent probe and Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar endorsing his colleague’s opinion on the issue.
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‘Maintain decorum’
On Wednesday, at a meeting of its executive committee, the association called upon the Chief Minister to ensure that “such statements are not made against serving civil servants and that decorum is maintained.”
Pointing out that Dr. Radhakrishnan had appeared before the Commission, the association said it was for the panel to examine “the totality of the evidence” presented before it and the officer was “not responsible for deciding the nature of the medical treatment.”
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Referring to the All India Service Conduct Rules prohibiting IAS officers from making public statements, the association described as “grossly unfair” and “contrary to the norms of good conduct in [the] government” the levelling of accusations by a Cabinet Minister against a serving civil servant, “who has no right to reply in public.”