Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has ordered a vigilance enquiry into corruption allegations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, dating back to 2006 when Kumar served as the state's Public Works Department (PWD) secretary.
The order, reported on Sunday, follows a complaint filed by Malayankeezhu Venugopal, who has sought a probe into the award of public works contracts during Kumar's tenure as PWD secretary. The complaint also raises questions about the circumstances of the death of Lee See Been, a Malaysian national who was the chief project manager of PATI-BEL, an Indo-Malaysian joint venture involved in a road project under the Kerala State Transport Project. Lee died by suicide in Kuala Lumpur in 2006, and his suicide note was reportedly said to have mentioned Kumar's name and contained allegations of corruption and harassment by PWD officials.
An earlier probe never concluded
According to the report, a preliminary vigilance enquiry was launched in 2006 after Lee's death, but it never reached a conclusive outcome. Kumar was transferred out of the PWD before the end of 2006 after the controversy surfaced. The complainant has alleged that the earlier enquiries were closed abruptly and the allegations were never properly pursued. The Kerala Home Department has now sought the files relating to that 2006 preliminary enquiry.
The matter has resurfaced nearly two decades later amid mounting political criticism of Kumar over the Election Commission's handling of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The new vigilance enquiry will examine the allegations set out in the complaint.
These remain allegations, not findings. News18's report notes the claims as they appear in the complaint and the reported contents of the 2006 suicide note; they have not been adjudicated.
Sources:
News18: Kerala Home Minister Orders Vigilance Enquiry Against CEC Gyanesh Kumar Over 2006 PWD Allegations
The order, reported on Sunday, follows a complaint filed by Malayankeezhu Venugopal, who has sought a probe into the award of public works contracts during Kumar's tenure as PWD secretary. The complaint also raises questions about the circumstances of the death of Lee See Been, a Malaysian national who was the chief project manager of PATI-BEL, an Indo-Malaysian joint venture involved in a road project under the Kerala State Transport Project. Lee died by suicide in Kuala Lumpur in 2006, and his suicide note was reportedly said to have mentioned Kumar's name and contained allegations of corruption and harassment by PWD officials.
An earlier probe never concluded
According to the report, a preliminary vigilance enquiry was launched in 2006 after Lee's death, but it never reached a conclusive outcome. Kumar was transferred out of the PWD before the end of 2006 after the controversy surfaced. The complainant has alleged that the earlier enquiries were closed abruptly and the allegations were never properly pursued. The Kerala Home Department has now sought the files relating to that 2006 preliminary enquiry.
The matter has resurfaced nearly two decades later amid mounting political criticism of Kumar over the Election Commission's handling of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The new vigilance enquiry will examine the allegations set out in the complaint.
These remain allegations, not findings. News18's report notes the claims as they appear in the complaint and the reported contents of the 2006 suicide note; they have not been adjudicated.
Sources:
News18: Kerala Home Minister Orders Vigilance Enquiry Against CEC Gyanesh Kumar Over 2006 PWD Allegations
