Kerala orders vigilance probe in 2006 suicide case linked to CEC Gyanesh Kumar
The case is related to the alleged suicide of Malaysian engineer Lee See Been, who was working with the PATI-BEL consortium on the MC Road upgrade project under the Kerala State Transport Project.
PTC News Desk: The Kerala Home Department has ordered a Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) probe against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities linked to his time as Kerala’s PWD Secretary in 2006.
The case is related to the alleged suicide of Malaysian engineer Lee See Been, who was working with the PATI-BEL consortium on the MC Road upgrade project under the Kerala State Transport Project. Reports say his suicide note mentioned Gyanesh Kumar, who was the PWD Secretary at the time.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala ordered a fresh investigation after allegations that the original 2006 inquiry was influenced by outside pressure. The Home Department has also asked for the files related to that earlier probe.
Chennithala said the allegations of outside interference were serious and directed the Vigilance Director to investigate them and take appropriate action based on the findings.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram has urged Chief Electoral Officers across states to speak publicly about the instructions they received during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Chidambaram claimed that some election officials had raised concerns about the SIR process and questioned whether the Election Commission overruled their objections. He urged the officials to explain what instructions they received and how they followed them.
Opposition parties have been demanding Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. Reports have also said that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on several occasions over issues involving electoral rolls, voter registration and technology systems.
The Election Commission, however, rejected claims of internal disagreement and said that discussions and suggestions during the drafting stage are normal. It maintained that all final decisions on the SIR schedule were taken unanimously.
The INDIA bloc has also stepped up its campaign against the Chief Election Commissioner, with protests planned in different parts of the country, including a major rally in New Delhi on November 1.