Whatsapp row: Kerala govt reinstates K Gopalakrishnan as MD of Vyttila Mobility Hub Society, KSCC

Kerala government has reappointed IAS officer K Gopalakrishnan, who was suspended for creating WhatsApp groups based on religion, as the Managing Director of the Vyttila Mobility Hub Society.

Additionally, he will hold the additional charge of Managing Director of the Kerala State Construction Corporation Limited. The order was issued by Additional Secretary Rajesh G R.

Gopalakrishnan, then Director of the Industries Department, came under an official inquiry after creating a WhatsApp group named Mallu Hindu Officers, which he deleted within hours. The incident prompted a police investigation.

As controversy erupted over the creation of a religion-based WhatsApp group, Gopalakrishnan claimed his phone had been hacked. He lodged a complaint with the police, alleging that the group was created and contacts were added without his consent through hacking.

However, this claim was disproved during the forensic examination. It was also found that he had repeatedly performed factory resets on the phone before handing it over to the cyber forensics division.

Based on these findings, the government concluded that the WhatsApp group created by Gopalakrishnan was intended to foment division, sow disunity, and disrupt the solidarity within the cadres of the All India Services in the state.

The order further stated that his actions were prima facie aimed at creating communal formations and alignments within the All India Services cadre. His conduct was found to be in violation of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, leading to his suspension under the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969.