Gyanesh Kumar Under Fire as Keralam Govt. Launches an Anti-Corruption Enquiry over a 2006 Graft Allegation Case

Key Points:

AMID THE ALLEGATIONS OF MISCONDUCT against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, the Keralam government has ordered for a detailed vigilance inquiry into an alleged case of corruption which dates back to 2006, during Kumar’s tenure as the Public Works Department (PWD) secretary. The allegations arise out of a road development project in Kerala, 2006, where complaints of alleged corruption, alongside the suicide of a Malaysian engineer engaged in the project, had stirred a major controversy and vigilance inquiry. 

The resurrection of this old case took place after a complaint was submitted by Malayinkeezhu Venugopal—member of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC)—alleging the improper conclusion to the vigilance inquiries that were ongoing against the then PWD secretary, Gyanesh Kumar. Upon receiving the complaint, Keralam Home Minister, Ramesh Chennithala, ordered for a detailed vigilance investigation against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the alleged cases of corruption and Malaysian engineer’s suicide.

See Also: Supreme Court To Hear Plea Against CEC Gyanesh Kumar Amid Intensifying Allegations of SIR-Related Irregularities

The complaint was discussed with Keralam CM VD Satheesan, following which the Director of Vigilance, Major Abraham, was directed to initiate a detailed investigation. 

What Happened in 2006 ? 

In 2006, Gyanesh Kumar was the PWD secretary in Kerala. A major road development project was being undertaken by the Kerala government with the collaboration of the World Bank. It was a Rs 215 crore project to develop MC Road from Angamaly to Thiruvananthapuram, with a Malaysian company as the project lead. However, an incident involving the death of the project engineer, Lee See Ben, sparked a series of allegations about irregularities and misconduct. Lee See Ben was a Malaysian engineer who was involved with the Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP). 

During the project, Lee See Ben, had raised many allegations. Few days later, he left for Malaysia, and died by suicide there. However, he left two suicide notes, which has been the source of major allegations levelled against the authorities involved in the project. Addressing the media on October 4, 2026, Home Minister Chennithala said that, the suicide notes of Lee clearly mentioned the name of the then PWD secretary Gyanesh Kumar. 

Venugopal’s complaint alleged that engineer Lee in his notes accused Gyanesh Kumar of imparting severe stress and harassment upon him, reported The News Minute. The complaint also alleged the withholding of government bills worth Rs 12 to 13 crore related to the project, which caused serious financial pressure on the company. Venugopal’s complaint states that this withholding was associated with an alleged demand of illegal gratification.

See Also: In Photos: Protesters at Jantar Mantar Demand Resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar

In legal parlance, “Gratification” is an act of monetary or non-monetary transaction in exchange for any official favour. 

Why is the 2006 Case in the News Again?

In January, The News Minute had filed an RTI on the vigilance inquiry of the corruption allegations against Gyanesh Kumar and the KSTP. The response was that the case was closed as no “irregularities” were noticed.

“Vigilance has enquired about all those details even in the suicide notes. Later, the inquiry was abruptly stopped.  There is a need for a detailed inquiry based on Venugopal’s complaint. The vigilance Director Manoj Abraham has been given the task of conducting a detailed inquiry,” Chennithala said, while speaking to The News Minute.

Gyanesh Kumar is already under fire for the huge allegations related to the irregular conduct of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, with demands for his resignation echoing from the streets across India. Now, with the allegations of misconduct during his tenure as the PWD secretary, it is certain that Gyanesh Kumar would be put under heavy scrutiny. 

However, the 2023 amendment act to the appointment of Election commissioners, provides a safety valve to the CEC against any criminal indictment. Responding to this Chennithala said, “Gyanesh Kumar will not get the protection of the CEC, as this happened in his capacity as the PWD secretary. There are no legal barriers in an inquiry against him.”

The entire inquiry revolves around the KSTP project, which envisioned the upgradation of the MC road Corridor between Angamaly and Thiruvananthapuram, with the due assistance of the World Bank. During this collaborative project, Gyanesh Kumar was the PWD secretary. 

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