Thiruvananthapuram : A major administrative and corruption case dating back 20 years has been reopened against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has ordered a vigilance inquiry into serious allegations of corruption and criminal misappropriation against Gyanesh Kumar.

The matter pertains to the year 2006, when Gyanesh Kumar, a 1988-batch IAS officer, was posted as the Secretary of the Public Works Department (PWD) under the Kerala government.

The complaint alleges that while serving as PWD Secretary in 2006, Gyanesh Kumar engaged in gross financial irregularities and criminal misconduct regarding the awarding of road construction contracts under the Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP).

Following the ensuing controversy, Gyanesh Kumar was removed from the post of PWD Secretary and transferred before the end of 2006. An initial inquiry was conducted at the time, but the complainant alleges that the investigation was closed under pressure without reaching any logical conclusion.

The case is not limited to financial misappropriation; it is also linked to the suspicious suicide of a foreign national.

A joint venture between India and Malaysia, named ‘PATI-BEL’, was executing work on the Kerala road project (KSTP). Lee See Been, the company’s main project manager and a Malaysian national, committed suicide in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, in 2006.

According to media reports and accounts from that time, the suicide note left by Lee See Been named the then PWD Secretary Gyanesh Kumar and other top PWD officials. The note alleged that he was being subjected to severe corruption, bribery, and mental harassment by Indian officials.

The Kerala Home Department has recalled the files concerning the 2006 suicide of a Malaysian manager and related PWD projects from the Vigilance Department.

The Vigilance Department will now conduct a fresh inquiry to determine whether the initial 2006 investigation was closed improperly and if there is sufficient evidence to substantiate the allegations made in Lee See Been’s suicide note.

The resurfacing of this 20-year-old case against Gyanesh Kumar is considered highly significant, as he is already facing criticism from the opposition and various political parties regarding the ‘Special Intensive Revision’ (SIR) being conducted by the Election Commission and ongoing differences with the other two Election Commissioners (Sandhu and Joshi) within the Commission.

Report: Abhijit Tushar Bhatt (Political Editor)