A senior Agriculture Department official told South First that two outcomes are likely: the government could reject Ashok’s report and order a fresh probe, possibly by the Finance Department, or it could refer the matter to the police for investigation.
Published Aug 22, 2025 | 2:14 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 22, 2025 | 2:14 PM
Vijayan clarified that the probe focuses on understanding how the confidential document was leaked, not on targeting journalists.(IMG-https://media.assettype.com/newslaundry/2023-07/249c42ff-cc47-44ac-a525-dfeadb0f2421/AI___Pinarayi_Vijayan_Kerala_2.jpg?w=1200&h=675&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max&enlarge=true)
Synopsis: A probe ordered by the Kerala Chief Minister’s Office into the leak of a confidential World Bank email on the ₹2,366 crore KERA project has ruled out any leak from within the Agriculture Department, but found that the CMO itself had illegally accessed the message, in potential violation of the IT Act.
An investigation ordered by the Kerala Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) into the leak of confidential information on a World Bank project has backfired, with the CMO itself now at the centre of the inquiry’s findings.
The probe, led by B Ashok IAS, Principal Secretary of the Agriculture Department, found that the CMO illegally accessed a password-protected email sent by the World Bank to the department, regarding the ₹2,366 crore Kerala Climate Resilient Agri-Value Chain Modernisation (KERA) project.
This was done bypassing the Agriculture Minister and in violation of procedure. Within the Agriculture Department, only four officials had permission to access the KERA project’s World Bank email. The illegal access could therefore constitute a violation of the IT Act.
Notably, the inquiry report, submitted to Agriculture Minister P Prasad, ruled out any leak from within the department, left further action to the minister, and effectively turned the spotlight onto the CMO.
The controversy concerns the utilisation of the KERA project funds, financed primarily through World Bank loans worth ₹1,656 crore, with the remaining ₹710 crore from the state treasury.
The initiative is meant to directly benefit about four lakh farmers and indirectly support another ten lakh.
The row began after the first instalment of ₹139.66 crore was released by the World Bank on March 17. Soon after, an email from the Bank was leaked to the media, sparking headlines and putting both the Finance Department and the state government under scrutiny.
Under the funding terms, the amount had to be transferred to the project’s implementing agencies within a week. Instead, it was allegedly diverted for other expenditures at the end of the financial year. Critics said this breached the agreement, while officials cited technical issues for the delay.
The government responded by ordering a probe led by IAS officer B Ashok, an unusual move in Kerala. The investigation was seen as targeting journalists’ sources in the Agriculture and Finance Departments, raising concerns about press freedom.
Six media houses – Malayala Manorama, Mathrubhumi, Janmabhumi, Chandrika, Kerala Kaumudy, and The Times of India – came under government scrutiny for their coverage of the KERA project.
The PRD Director submitted a report on their reporting to K M Abraham, a retired IAS officer and now Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, considered a close aide of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Abraham forwarded the report to the Agriculture Department to identify how journalists obtained sensitive details, particularly those contained in the official email.
Journalists who reported on the story were identified to trace the leak’s source. Agriculture Minister Prasad later held a press conference, stressing that the probe was not an attack on press freedom but an attempt to find out how confidential information was accessed.
The situation escalated when the CMO, while issuing directions on the probe, attached the email in question but omitted its date and time, a detail that appeared to be deliberately left out.
File records show the email from the World Bank began circulating in the Agriculture Department on June 2, and the probe to trace the leak was launched on August 8.
The probe has now revealed that the CMO illegally accessed the Agriculture Department’s email, which was then sent to its own office.
All eyes are now on Agriculture Minister Prasad and his response to the findings. The report points directly at the Chief Minister’s Office, making his reaction politically significant, especially as Prasad belongs to the CPI, a close ally of the ruling CPI(M).
According to aides, Prasad is displeased with the findings and may urgently discuss them with the Chief Minister.
A senior Agriculture Department official told South First that two outcomes are likely: the government could reject Ashok’s report and order a fresh probe, possibly by the Finance Department, or it could refer the matter to the police for investigation.
The controversy has intensified after the Chief Minister recently said the government has the authority to trace leaks from its departments. But questions remain: can a fund be considered a “secret”?
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
