CEC Gyanesh Kumar Under Scanner: Kerala Orders Probe into Bribery Claims
Kerala Home Minister orders VACB probe into bribery allegations against CEC Gyanesh Kumar involving a 2006 PWD dispute and a tragic suicide.
In a move that has sent shockwaves through the administrative corridors, Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has officially directed the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to launch a formal investigation into bribery allegations against Gyanesh Kumar, the current Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).
A Dispute Rooted in the Past
The controversy dates back to 2006, a time when Gyanesh Kumar served as the Secretary of the Public Works Department (PWD) in Kerala. The allegations center around a financial dispute involving the Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP), which was being executed by a Malaysian company called PATI-BEL.
The probe was triggered by a complaint from a former contractor named Sajan. According to the allegations, Kumar demanded a bribe of 2 crore rupees in exchange for clearing pending payments amounting to approximately 17 crore rupees for road construction work carried out under the KSTP.
The Tragic Connection: A Suicide in Malaysia
The case takes a grim turn with the mention of Lee See Been, a project engineer for the Malaysian firm PATI-BEL. The complaint suggests that the demand for a bribe and the resulting delays in payment caused immense mental agony to Lee See Been.
It is alleged that the engineer eventually died by suicide in Malaysia. Most critically, the complaint claims that Lee See Been explicitly named Gyanesh Kumar in his suicide note, linking his distress to the administrative hurdles and demands faced during the project.
How the Investigation Reopened
While the incident occurred nearly two decades ago, the matter gained fresh momentum last month after Congress leader Malayanheezhu Venugopal filed a formal complaint. To determine if the case could still be pursued, the VACB sought legal guidance from the Home Department.
G. Sasidharan, the Additional Director General of Prosecution (Vigilance), provided a key legal opinion: a case could indeed be registered despite the age of the incident. He noted that the statements left behind by the deceased Lee See Been could be admissible as evidence under existing laws.
Law Above Position
Confirming the order for the probe, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala emphasized that no individual is above the law, regardless of the stature of their current office. The VACB is now expected to delve into the records of the 2006 PWD dealings to ascertain the truth behind the bribery claims and the circumstances leading to the engineer's death.