On March 25, 2025, Kerala Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan sparked a debate on colourism through a candid Facebook post. Addressing a remark she overheard about her tenure—"that it is as black as my husband’s was white"—she confronted the deep-seated bias against darker skin tones. Her husband, V. Venu, was her predecessor as chief secretary, retiring in August 2024, and the comment appeared to equate her skin colour with her leadership, with a negative connotation.
Muraleedharan initially deleted the post due to an overwhelming response but later reposted it, urged by well-wishers who felt the issue demanded a public debate. She highlighted how colourism persists even in Kerala, touted as a progressive state, seeping into workplaces and homes.
#WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram: On a comment about her skin complexion, Sarada Muraleedharan, Kerala Chief Secretary, says "...It was a comment that was made perhaps from a sense of humour. But the thing is, behind the humour, there is an entire value connotation and that value… pic.twitter.com/LkL67fr6m0
— ANI (@ANI) March 26, 2025
However, sources say that among the senior bureaucrats in Kerala, a discussion happened whether the top bureaucrat in the state should have been provoked by some “stray remark”.
“Has the person [chief secretary] got a real grievance that the system acted in clear prejudice? (Sic) Was not rewarded adequately? Was denied important posts due to extraneous reasons? Behaved arbitrarily with? Materially affected? Demoralised? These happen to several persons, isn’t it? Where injury demands remedial?,” a senior bureaucrat raised the question. This bureaucrat also argued that he supports the stated cause, but colourism is a well written and argued case that hardly needs further support.
Discussions have also touched on the personal threats and public vilification faced by civil servants, as well as challenges posed by senior officials within the bureaucracy. Notably, in recent times, the infighting within the top echelon of Kerala’s bureaucracy has come into the public sphere. Last December, suspended IAS officer N. Prasanth sent a legal notice against Chief Secretary Muraleedharan, and two other bureaucrats and a local newspaper alleging serious offences, including forgery, fabrication of documents, tampering with official records, and criminal conspiracy. And, in February, top bureaucrat B. Ashok filed a contempt of court petition in the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) against Chief Secretary, alleging wilful disobedience of the tribunal order to stay his transfer from the post of Agriculture Production Commissioner.
Nevertheless, the Chief Secretary’s post sparked a widespread debate that extended far beyond bureaucratic circles. Political figures, celebrities, and thinkers voiced support for Muraleedharan’s stance, sharing their own personal experiences with colourism, particularly the challenges faced by dark-skinned women.
