Thiruvananthapuram | The Congress-led UDF government in Kerala has reinstated two senior IAS officers—B Ashok and N Prasanth—who were placed under suspension by the previous LDF administration for alleged violations of service conduct rules.

According to separate orders issued by the General Administration Department, the suspension of Ashok, a 1998-batch officer, and Prasanth, a 2007-batch officer, has been revoked with immediate effect after the government examined the matter in detail.

The orders, shared by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) on Sunday, clarified that disciplinary proceedings against the officers would continue independently in accordance with applicable service rules.

The officers are expected to be given fresh postings shortly, official sources said.

The revocation of the suspensions ends a nearly two-year period out of service for Prasanth, who had faced multiple extensions of disciplinary action, and brings Ashok back into service after around one-and-a-half months under suspension.

Both officers have held key positions in the state administration during their careers.

The move is also being seen as politically significant, as both bureaucrats were known for publicly questioning policies and decisions of the previous Left government.

Prasanth had been under suspension since November 2024 after he publicly criticised then Additional Chief Secretary A Jayathilak, who is now the state’s Chief Secretary, through social media posts.

The officer had also courted controversy on multiple occasions for his comments on administrative matters and for responding to disciplinary proceedings through social media posts and satirical remarks.

Ashok was suspended in April this year after disciplinary proceedings were initiated against him over media interactions in which he allegedly criticised government policies and functioning.

The action came just days before the Assembly election results were declared.

While in opposition, the Congress had accused the then LDF government of targeting officers for dissent and stifling criticism within the administration.