Who would be 50th Chief Secretary of Kerala?

With Chief Secretary of Kerala Sarada Muraleedharan set to retire on April 30, the million dollar question is, who would be the 50th Chief Secretary of the state. Manoj Joshi, a 1989 batch officer who is now on central deputation and state Finance Secretary A Jayathilak, a 1991-batch officer, are the top contenders for the post. The new Chief Secretary will assume office with effect from May 1. Joshi, who is now the senior most IAS officer in the Kerala cadre has been on central deputation since 2020. Manoj Joshi is set to retire only in January 2027. On the other hand, Jayathilak is to retire in June 2026. Rumours about Manoj Joshi returning to the state strengthened after he reportedly met with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recently. Joshi had earlier twice declined the opportunity to become the Chief Secretary.