A Jayathilak, a 1991 batch IAS officer, has been appointed as the next chief secretary of Kerala, officials said on Wednesday.

A meeting of the state cabinet cleared Jayathilak’s name for the post. He will succeed incumbent Sarada Muraleedharan, who retires on April 30.

Advertisement

Jayathilak , who belongs to the Kerala cadre and is currently the Additional Chief Secretary (Finance), is expected to have a tenure in the top bureaucratic post of the state until his retirement in June 2026.

He started his civil service career as the Sub-Collector of Mananthavady. Jayathilak, who was the District Collector of Kollam and Kozhikode, held several key positions in the state’s bureaucracy, including the Managing Director of Kerala Tourism Development Corporation.

He faces allegations from suspended 2007-batch IAS officer N Prasanth. Prasanth had accused Jayathilak of damaging the careers and lives of subordinates who did not comply with his instructions. The remarks came after Jayathilak accused Prasanth of fabricating attendance records and consistently neglecting his duties as Special Secretary in the SC/ST Department.