Published Oct 31, 2026 | 11:32 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 31, 2026 | 11:32 AM
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Allegations of corruption against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, dating back to his tenure as secretary of the Kerala Public Works Department, have resurfaced after a fresh complaint reached the Vigilance Department.
This comes as the ongoing preliminary inquiry into alleged irregularities in the Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP) reportedly faces a roadblock, with investigators finding no apparent flaws in the earlier probe conducted nearly two decades ago.
The latest complaint has gained attention following allegations by Sajan VO, a contractor associated with the 2004 MC Road development project, that Kumar had withheld payment clearances and sought a bribe of Rs 2 crore from Lee See Been, the chief project manager of PATI-BEL, an Indo-Malaysian joint venture entrusted with the work. Sajan alleged that the demand and the subsequent withholding of funds contributed to Lee’s suicide.
Addressing reporters in Thiruvananthapuram on October 28, Sajan said he possessed documents and other material to substantiate his claims and would hand them over to the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB). He also expressed his willingness to cooperate with the investigation.
According to Sajan, the 124-km road improvement project covering the Alappuzha-Changanassery and Changanassery-Madukkamoodu stretches was awarded for Rs 274 crore. He alleged that while bills cleared by other officials were withheld by Kumar, the Malaysian company refused to pay the alleged bribe.
Lee subsequently diverted funds from another company project in Bengaluru to meet outstanding liabilities but later died by suicide after facing mounting financial difficulties, Sajan claimed.
Kumar, a 1988-batch Kerala cadre IAS officer, was serving as PWD secretary and was associated with the implementation of the KSTP’s MC Road works when the allegations initially surfaced in 2004. The World Bank-funded project had been awarded to PATI-BEL, a joint venture involving a Malaysian company and Bhageeratha Engineering.
Sajan, a native of Chadayamangalam, has submitted a separate complaint to the Vigilance Director alleging that Kumar had sought a bribe during his tenure as PWD secretary. Since the complaint is reportedly based on information received from others rather than on direct knowledge, the Vigilance Director has forwarded it to the Home Department for directions on further action.
Meanwhile, the prospects of reopening the earlier Vigilance case appear uncertain.
A review of the records relating to the preliminary inquiry conducted in 2006 has reportedly found no discrepancies in the original investigation. The earlier probe had concluded that the corruption allegations were not supported by sufficient evidence, and the file was subsequently closed.
The renewed inquiry was ordered by Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala following a complaint from Congress leader Malayinkeezhu Venugopal. However, the latest assessment of the old records has raised questions about the scope for proceeding further on the same allegations.
PWD Minister PK Basheer told the Assembly on October 29 that the preliminary Vigilance inquiry ordered by the government was still under way and its report had not been received. Responding during Question Hour to queries from BJP MLAs BB Gopakumar, V Muraleedharan and Rajeev Chandrasekhar, he said the fresh examination was necessitated by discrepancies noticed in the earlier investigation.
Basheer also pointed out that the 2006 inquiry had not examined the circumstances surrounding the suicide of Lee See Been. He said the government could consider investigating the death to determine whether financial exploitation had played a role.
The Minister further alleged that the KSTP implementation had caused a loss of around Rs 700 crore to the state owing to substantial differences between estimated project costs and the amounts eventually awarded and spent. Citing the figures, he said road improvement works estimated at Rs 787 crore were awarded for Rs 1,209 crore.
Similarly, road construction estimated at Rs 244 crore cost Rs 343 crore, while land acquisition and rehabilitation expenses rose from an estimated Rs 187 crore to Rs 323 crore.
The latest developments leave the government facing two parallel questions: whether the original KSTP investigation can be reopened despite the apparent absence of discrepancies in its records, and whether the fresh allegations and material promised by Sajan warrant a separate inquiry.
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A journalist’s investigation and how a 2006 suicide case is back to haunt Gyanesh Kumar
(Edited by R Rajesh Kumar.)
