Two-decade-old allegations return to the spotlight as Kerala orders a preliminary probe into the former PWD Secretary’s tenure
GTNS | October 4, 2026
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Nearly two decades after a controversial episode involving a major road project in Kerala, fresh scrutiny has been ordered against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, bringing a 2006 chapter of his administrative career back into the political spotlight.
Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has directed the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to conduct a preliminary inquiry into allegations linked to Kumar’s tenure as the state’s Public Works Department Secretary. The move followed a complaint submitted by KPCC leader Malayinkeezhu Venugopal.
The matter centres on the Kerala State Transport Project, including work on the MC Road corridor. At the time, Kumar was serving as PWD Secretary and a Malaysian engineer, Lee See Been, associated with the Indo-Malaysian PATI-BEL consortium, later died by suicide.
According to reports on the complaint, allegations concerning Kumar had surfaced in connection with the project and the engineer’s death. His purported suicide note was reported to have referred to Kumar. These allegations, however, have not been independently established and remain subject to investigation.
Why has the old file returned?
The latest move is not the first official scrutiny of the matter. A preliminary vigilance inquiry had been initiated around 2006, but the investigation did not progress further. The Kerala government has now decided to revisit the episode following fresh representations questioning how the earlier inquiry was handled.
The Home Minister has asked the vigilance machinery to examine the allegations and the circumstances surrounding the earlier inquiry before any further action is considered.
A politically sensitive moment
The development comes at a politically charged time for the Election Commission. Gyanesh Kumar has faced criticism from opposition parties over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, with questions being raised about the functioning and independence of the poll body.
The Kerala government, however, has linked the new vigilance action to allegations dating back to Kumar’s tenure as PWD Secretary rather than his present constitutional position.
For now, the central issue is not whether the allegations have been proved, but whether the fresh inquiry can establish what happened in the 2006 road-project episode, why the earlier investigation stalled and whether any wrongdoing occurred.
The reopening of a nearly 20-year-old case involving the country’s top election official is certain to intensify scrutiny around both administrative accountability and the institutional credibility of the Election Commission.