Kerala Excise Commissioner post to go to an IAS and not IPS this time?

The Kerala Government is contemplating upon posting an IAS officer as the head of the Excise department. IPS officer S Aananthakrishnan was the Commissioner, Excise but now after his retirement, the post is vacant. After hectic lobbying of IAS officers, the Government is toying with the idea of posting an IAS as his replacement. Before 2016, the post was generally occupied by an IAS officer but after the present Government came to power, IPS officers were considered for the post. The IAS lobby had harboured reservations with this decision.