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Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday, alleged that a massive data leak of government employees was orchestrated directly by the Chief Minister’s Office for electoral benefits, and demanded legal action against those responsible.
The bulk messages issued in the Chief Minister’s name and sent to the WhatsApp numbers of government employees highlighted the sanctioning of Dearness Allowance (DA) and other benefits. The message assured them that the government would continue to safeguard their welfare. It turned into a political row after the Opposition alleged violation of privacy and use of personal data for campaigning ahead of elections.
Addressing a press conference on February 25, Chennithala claimed that a formal communication seeking the complete personal details of government employees from the K-Smart application was issued by Sriram Sambasiva Rao, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Chennithala said he was placing before the media a letter dated December 31, 2025, sent by the OSD to the Chief Mission Director, demanding that the data be transferred to the Information and Public Relations Department (I&PRD). According to him, the letter stated that the government was introducing a digital communication platform titled the “Centralised Notification Hub for Government Services,” and that preparatory work had commenced under the PRD.
As part of the initiative, personal data of employees across departments was being compiled, the letter reportedly said. The communication specifically directed that details from the K-Smart application be furnished in Excel format, including phone number, name, age, gender, district, taluk, ward and local body. The collected information was to be submitted to the Special Secretary of the PRD before February 12, and the same dataset was also to be shared with the IT Mission, Chennithala alleged.
“This constitutes a large-scale data breach executed directly by the Chief Minister’s Office, amounting to a total violation of employees’ privacy. The responsibility for this action rests with the Chief Minister himself,” Chennithala alleged.
“No such communication could have been issued without the Chief Minister’s explicit approval,” he said, adding that the involvement of the OSD made it clear that the directive originated from the Chief Minister’s Office.
He further alleged that the collection of sensitive personal information of lakhs of government employees and pensioners ahead of the Legislative Assembly elections raised serious concerns about potential misuse for campaign-related purposes, and constituted a breach of data protection norms and privacy laws.
On Tuesday, February 24, the Kerala High Court came down heavily on the Chief Minister's office and observed that the allegations are serious.
Referring to proceedings before the Kerala High Court, Chennithala said the court had sought an explanation from the Chief Minister on how employee details were accessed. The court had observed that personal information cannot be used for purposes beyond official requirements and had directed the government to file an affidavit, he added.
Chennithala also drew parallels with the data controversy during the COVID-19 period involving US-based firm Sprinklr, in which the state government’s data-sharing arrangement had come under scrutiny. He said that at the time, the then Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, M Shivashankaran, had defended the arrangement, and added that the present episode was similar in nature.
“The Chief Minister who spearheaded the data collection, the Officer on Special Duty who conveyed the directive, and the Chief Secretary who attempted to legitimise it are all accountable,” Chennithala said, demanding that legal action be initiated against them.