Ex-IAS Kannan: MHA Had Sent Me a Flimsy Showcause Notice in July

IAS Kannan Gopinathan, who resigned due to “denial of freedom of expression” in J&K, had got an MHA notice in July.

Gopinathan resigned from the IAS on 23 August

(Photo Courtesy: The News Minute)

32-year-old Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, Kannan Gopinathan, who recently quit his post to express his views against the “denial of freedom of expression” in Kashmir, had been issued a showcause notice in July by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The notice cited five reasons, one of which was Gopinathan not sending applications for a PM's award.

Speaking to The Quint, Gopinathan denied that his resignation has anything to do with the notice issued to him. “I submitted my resignation only on 23 August whereas the showcause notice was issued in July and I submitted my reply to it as well.”

Gopinathan further said that he was given additional charges on 5 August. “The showcause notice was very much a closed chapter for me,” Gopinathan told The Quint.

Not the First Notice Issued to Gopinathan

The showcause notice, however, is not the first occasion that Gopinathan has had a run-in with the authorities.

Gopinathan, who was working as a Returning Officer during the Lok Sabha elections, was issued a notice by the government, which was eventually withdrawn.

“When someone is working as the Returning Officer, that person is deputed by the Election Commission and is not under the jurisdiction of the government. So I informed the EC which asked the authorities to withdraw the notice,” Gopinathan told The Quint.

Gopinathan describes the notice issued to him during the elections as ‘vague’ and ‘inappropriate’.

He, however, presumed “repercussions” of him getting the notice withdrawn and the “independence” he tried to show, Gopinathan added.

‘Flimsy Showcause’

In June, soon after the notice issued to him during the elections was withdrawn, he was served with another showcause notice by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The notice, which Gopinathan describes as ‘flimsy’, was asked to be issued by the Union Territory Administration of Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli.

“The showcause notice was flimsy. It had points like I did not apply for the PM’s award and that I had not filed a tour report after going to Kerala,” Gopinathan said.

The tour to Kerala refers to his work during the Kerala floods. The officer who was the then District Collector of the Union Territory Dadra & Nagar Haveli had rushed to Kerala to help at a relief collection centre and had toiled without telling anyone that he was a District Collector. His identity had become known only after another officer recognised him.