Fresh trouble has emerged for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar after the Kerala government ordered a new Vigilance inquiry into a nearly 20-year-old case linked to his tenure as Public Works Department secretary. The probe follows a complaint over alleged irregularities in the Kerala State Transport Project and the 2006 death of Malaysian engineer Lee See Been in Kuala Lumpur.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has directed the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to examine the case after Congress leader Malayinkeezhu Venugopal submitted a petition seeking a fresh investigation. The complaint concerns alleged irregularities linked to public works contracts during Kumar’s tenure as PWD secretary. Former Kerala finance minister Thomas Isaac has also spoken about the old case in recent weeks. He has also made allegations concerning payment disputes connected with the project.
Reports from 2006 said Lee’s purported suicide note referred to Kumar and contained allegations involving PWD officials. The contract was worth around Rs 216 crore and only part of the payment had been cleared at the time, according to him.
The latest government order centres on the handling of the original Vigilance proceedings. There has been no finding of wrongdoing against Kumar in the reopened case. Earlier reporting noted: Keralam orders probe against CEC Gyanesh Kumar over 2006 road project case Keralam home minister Ramesh Chennithala on Sunday ordered a Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) inquiry against chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in a 2006 case of alleged irregularities in a road construction project when the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer was then secretary of the state public works department.
Earlier reporting noted: Chennithala said the probe was ordered based on a complaint filed by Malayankeezhu Venugopal, a Congress leader and member of the state unit executive. Earlier reporting noted: The home minister said the decision to order the inquiry was taken following legal counsel and consultations with chief minister VD Satheesan.
The state Home Department has asked for the relevant records so officials can determine whether the earlier inquiry was affected by external intervention. The government will also examine the circumstances in which the earlier investigation slowed down and whether key allegations were properly pursued at the time. The state government has, for now, ordered officials to retrieve the old records, examine the complaint and assess the claim that the earlier probe was disrupted.
