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.
Kerala orders fresh inquiry into 2006 case
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 Home Department has sought files connected to the earlier Vigilance inquiry. Investigators will examine how the case was handled at the time and allegations that outside pressure affected the course of the probe.
The complaint concerns alleged irregularities linked to public works contracts during Kumar’s tenure as PWD secretary. Reports from 2006 said Lee’s purported suicide note referred to Kumar and contained allegations involving PWD officials.
Who was Lee See Been?
Lee was associated with the PATI-BEL consortium, which was involved in upgrading MC Road under the Kerala State Transport Project. The consortium included Malaysian company PATI and Kerala-based Bhageeratha Engineering.
The road project had faced delays involving land acquisition, payments and completion schedules. Lee returned to Malaysia in November 2006 and died by suicide in Kuala Lumpur soon afterwards.
His death led to scrutiny of the road project and a vigilance inquiry in Kerala. Kumar, who was serving as PWD secretary at the time, was transferred from the post soon after Lee’s death.
Former Kerala finance minister Thomas Isaac has also spoken about the old case in recent weeks. According to him, the contract was worth around Rs 216 crore and only part of the payment had been cleared at the time. He has also made allegations concerning payment disputes connected with the project.
Old Vigilance files to be examined again
The latest government order centres on the handling of the original Vigilance proceedings. The state Home Department has asked for the relevant records so officials can determine whether the earlier inquiry was affected by external intervention.
The Vigilance Director has been asked to conduct a preliminary inquiry and decide what further action, if any, is warranted on the basis of the findings.
The government will also examine the circumstances in which the earlier investigation slowed down and whether key allegations were properly pursued at the time.
Case resurfaces as Kumar faces political pressure
The Kerala inquiry comes at a sensitive time for Gyanesh Kumar, who is serving as Chief Election Commissioner. Opposition parties have been attacking the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and have demanded his resignation.
Protests have also been held against the Election Commission’s voter-roll exercise, while legal challenges connected to the process have reached the Supreme Court.
The Kerala case is separate from those disputes. The fresh Vigilance inquiry concerns Kumar’s tenure in the state bureaucracy and events dating back to 2006.
No finding against Kumar at this stage
There has been no finding of wrongdoing against Kumar in the reopened case. 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.
