IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan who quit over Kashmir asked to join duty immediately

IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan had resigned on August 21 alleging denial of "fundamental rights" to lakhs of people in J&K. (File Photo)

HIGHLIGHTS

• IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan asked to resume duty, continue to work
• Kannan Gopinathan’s resignation has not been accepted yet
• The IAS officer had resigned over denial of "freedom of expression" to the people of J&K

Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Kannan Gopinathan, who quit the services over denial of freedom of expression to the people of Jammu and Kashmir has been asked to resume his duty immediately.

The 33-year-old IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan has been asked to continue to work till his resignation is accepted.

Gopinathan, who was the secretary, power department of the Union Territories of Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, had submitted resignation to the Home Ministry on August 21. The Personnel Department of Daman and Diu, however, has asked him to attend the office till it is accepted.

The notice, dated August 27, signed by Gurpreet Singh, deputy secretary, personnel department of Daman and Diu, said resignation by a government officer "becomes effective when it is accepted". "Therefore, you are hereby directed to continue attending to your assigned duties immediately, till a decision is taken on your resignation," it said.

As he was not present in Silvassa, officials pasted a notice on the door of the room in a government guesthouse where he lived.

When contacted, Gopinathan told PTI that he was aware of the notice, but declined to comment further.

Kannan Gopinathan was earlier served a showcause notice by the Home Ministry after he resigned last week saying that what was happening in Kashmir was not acceptable to him.

After resigning, the IAS officer had claimed he took the decision as he wanted to express his views against the "denial of freedom of expression" in Kashmir.

His resignation, though, had made no mention of the Kashmir issue.

After tendering resignation, Gopinathan, who hails from Kottayam district of Kerala, had said to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution was the "right of elected government", but in a democracy people have the right to respond, too.

"After taking the decision on Kashmir, nearly 20 days have passed and even now, the people there are not allowed to react or respond to it and that is not acceptable in a democratic set-up. Personally, I could not accept it and continue in the service during such a time," he had told PTI.

SOURCE