A controversy has emerged surrounding fresh corruption allegations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. It is alleged that in 2006, while serving as the Secretary of the Public Works Department in Kerala, he demanded a bribe of Rs 2 crore to clear outstanding bills for a road construction project. It is further alleged that this demand for a bribe, coupled with the withholding of project funds, led to the suicide of a Malaysian engineer.Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has ordered the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to investigate these newly surfaced allegations.
These allegations against Gyanesh Kumar have surfaced amidst protests from opposition parties, including the Congress, regarding the ‘Special Intensive Revision’ (SIR) of the electoral roll across the country. However, the allegations against him remain unproven. The Chief Election Commissioner has not yet offered any response on this matter.
Sajan, a former contractor from Kollam district, has submitted a written complaint to the Director of Vigilance. He alleges that Gyanesh Kumar demanded a bribe of Rs 2 crore to clear bills for road construction work carried out under the Kerala State Transport Project. According to the complaint, cheques for bills amounting to approximately Rs 17 crore—which had already been approved by the engineers—were deliberately withheld. As a result, the Malaysian firm ‘Paty-Bell’, which was in charge of the project, along with its contractors and staff, faced financial difficulties.
According to Sajan’s complaint, the project engineer—a Malaysian national named Lee See Bin—informed him that Gyanesh Kumar would not agree to release the cheque unless a bribe was paid. As per a report by the news agency PTI, Sajan stated in his complaint that he had suggested making a payment to resolve the matter; however, he was told that the company’s management did not authorize the payment of a bribe to secure the cheque.
It is alleged that Lee used funds from another of the company’s projects in Bengaluru to settle outstanding payments. However, this did not fully resolve the financial difficulties. Sajan claims that Lee died by suicide in 2006 due to the financial pressure caused by the withholding of approved bills and demands for bribes.
The complainant has alleged that the role of Gyanesh Kumar was mentioned even in the letter written by Lee before his suicide. He further claims that members of Lee’s family in Malaysia had also informed the organization’s staff about this matter. However, none of these claims have been proven yet.
Sajan further alleges that the vigilance investigation conducted following Lee’s death in 2006 failed to question him or other individuals who had direct knowledge of the bribe solicitation. He has also indicated his readiness to present evidence—by bringing forward members of Lee’s family, former employees of the organization, and other eyewitnesses, if necessary.
Following the receipt of new allegations, the Vigilance Department conducted a preliminary inquiry and has sought permission from the Home Department to register a case. According to government sources, the Home Minister ordered the investigation only after obtaining legal advice.
It is worth noting that Chennithala had previously ordered an investigation into allegations of corruption concerning the development work on MC Road under the Kerala State Transport Project. This directive was issued on October 4, following a complaint filed by Malayinkeezhu Venugopal, a leader of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee. The project was executed by the Pati-Bell consortium, and at that time, Gyanesh Kumar served as the Secretary of the Public Works Department in Kerala.
According to various reports, although a vigilance investigation into these allegations was initiated following Lee’s death in 2006, no further action was taken as the allegations could not be substantiated. In this new round of investigation, it may also be examined whether any significant information or evidence was overlooked during the previous inquiry.
In short, old corruption allegations against Gyanesh Kumar are set to come under fresh scrutiny. The vigilance department will examine these new allegations while also reviewing the course of previous investigations. However, until the investigation is concluded, these allegations cannot be treated as proven facts. There has been no statement from the Chief Election Commissioner yet.
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