IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan, who resigned last week citing the denial of "freedom of expression" to the people of Jammu and Kashmir as the sole reason, has refused to re-join even as the office of the administrator of the Union Territory of Daman and Diu issued a notice asking him to report to work.
Gopinathan was asked to resume duty and continue to work till his resignation was accepted.
Kannan Gopinathan, who was the secretary, power department of the Union Territories of Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, submitted his resignation to the Home Ministry on August 21.
The Personnel Department of Daman and Diu, however, asked him to attend the office till it was accepted.
As he was not present in Silvassa, the capital city of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, officials pasted a notice on the door of the room in a government guesthouse where he lived. The notice, dated August 27, was signed by Gurpreet Singh, deputy secretary, personnel department of Daman and Diu.
To this end, Gopinathan said he would remain firm on his decision.
"I came home at Silvassa, late last night (Wednesday), and learnt about the notice put on the door. It is a procedural notice because what they are saying is during the intervening period (till the resignation is accepted), I should rejoin the duties. I have gone public with my opinion and I strongly remain firm on my decision. It might not be appropriate for me to join duties at same place during this intervening (processing) period," The Indian Express quoted Gopinathan, as saying.
He added, "I have not decided my future step. I am exploring job options that are related to public services with private organisations. Last one week was hectic and I did not get time to work on it."
The said notice, citing Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) rules, mentioned the resignation by a government officer "becomes effective only when it is accepted".
"Therefore, you are hereby directed to continue attending to your assigned duties immediately, till a decision is taken on your resignation," it added.
Gopinathan's resignation, notably, had made no mention of the Kashmir issue.
The 32-year-old officer had first come into limelight when he hid his identity and joined in relief work during the 2018 Kerala floods.
After the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Kannan was transferred from the post of Collector and was made Secretary (Power & Non-Conventional sources of Energy), Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli.
(with inputs from agencies)
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