Published Jul 28, 2026 | 9:05 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 28, 2026 | 9:05 AM
Kannan Gopinathan
Former IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan has taken a sarcastic dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the swift acceptance of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, pointing out that his own resignation has been pending for nearly seven years.
Pradhan resigned as Education Minister on 25 July amid nationwide protests led by the CJP over alleged exam paper leaks. His resignation was immediately accepted.
Gopinathan, who resigned from the IAS in 2019, responded on X, ”Dear PM Narendra Modi, now that you have started accepting resignations, please accept mine. It’s been 7 years!!”
Speaking to South First, Gopinathan said the post was meant to highlight the contrasting pace at which resignations appear to be processed.
”I may be the most privileged civil servant. I can join my duties at any time, participate in protests whenever I want, and the government has given me complete freedom.” he said with a hearty laugh.
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Gopinathan’s sarcastic remarks point to a larger ambiguity surrounding his status.
He officially joined the Congress on 13 October 2025, in the presence of senior party leaders including KC Venugopal and Pawan Khera.
Under the All-India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968 serving government employees are expected to maintain political neutrality and cannot actively participate in politics or associate themselves with political parties.
An IAS officer seeking to enter electoral politics is generally required to formally resign from government service.
Gopinathan’s case has therefore left him in an unusual administrative limbo.
While he has publicly joined the Congress and remains politically active, his resignation from the IAS has not been formally accepted. This has raised questions about what he can or cannot do professionally while his resignation remains pending.
Gopinathan said he was not receiving a salary and had neither been suspended nor dismissed.
”Nope. No salary, no suspension, nothing. Just sitting on it. Just like on every other issue.” he said.
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Gopinathan resigned in 2019 after publicly questioning the Centre’s actions in Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370.
He had also emerged as a prominent voice against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and had earlier gained public attention for his volunteer work during the 2018 Kerala floods.
There has been no official word on when or whether his resignation will finally be accepted.
Reports earlier this year, citing government sources, said the final recommendation on his resignation was yet to reach the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), leaving the matter pending with the Union Home Ministry.
He said that he is awaiting a response from the Union government to an RTI query.
Gopinathan’s former colleague, IAS officer Sasikanth Senthil resigned in 2019, and his resignation was accepted in 2022. Senthil later joined the Congress and is now the Lok Sabha MP from Tiruvallur in Tamil Nadu.
For Gopinathan, however, the prolonged uncertainty surrounding his resignation has come at a cost, both professionally and financially.
Gopinathan’s latest post may have been delivered with sarcasm, but the issue goes beyond a political dig. It raises questions about the prolonged delay in processing an officer’s resignation and the administrative grey area created when a resignation remains unresolved for years.
For Gopinathan, the wait continues — even as a resignation submitted just days ago was accepted within hours.
