Additional Chief Secretary seeks report on delay in issuing charge memo

The State Additional Chief Secretary has sought a report from the Chief Wildlife Warden and the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Administration) regarding lapses by the Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) and the Field Director (FD) of Kottayam.

The order, issued by Under Secretary Shaji M.M., stated that former Thekkady Range Officer Siby K.E. and Vallakkadavu Range Officer Arun K. Nair were suspended on September 29, 2025. This followed an investigation by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) that uncovered evidence of bribery involving contractors working on infrastructure development projects.

“As per the rules, officials must issue a charge memo against suspended officers within three months of the suspension date. However, no charge memo has been issued yet. Based on a Supreme Court order, if a charge memo is not issued within three months, the suspended officials must be reinstated into service and appointed to non-sensitive posts,” stated the order.

The order further stated that the CCF and FD Kottayam (both posts held by the same person) have yet to submit a probe report, calling it a “serious lapse.” The Additional Chief Secretary has demanded an explanation as to whether the delay in issuing the charge memo was intentional. The order was issued with the approval of Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran.

The two range officers were originally suspended following the VACB’s “Operation Vanaraksha,” which uncovered evidence of corruption. Subsequently, Rajesh Ravindran, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force, finalised their suspensions.

Specific allegations against Vallakkadavu Range Forest Officer Arun K. Nair include accepting bribes totalling ₹72.8 lakh between June and September 2025. The funds were allegedly transferred to him and his relatives in multiple instalments. The VACB also found that Mr. Nair purportedly instructed a contractor to transfer ₹1.36 lakh to a business establishment in Kochi.

Meanwhile, Thekkady Range Forest Officer Siby K.E. is accused of receiving ₹31.08 lakh from the same contractor, plus an additional ₹1.95 lakh from two other contractors. These payments were allegedly made through direct cash, middlemen, and UPI transactions.

While departmental rules require higher officials to issue a charge memo immediately following a suspension, the Field Director’s failure to do so may now result in the accused officers returning to duty.