CEC Gyanesh Kumar and 2006 Keralam bribery case: What happened then, why is probe being reopened – Explained

In 2006, a Malaysian civil engineer named Lee See Been took his own life in Kuala Lumpur. He had allegedly accused PWD officials, including the then Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, of soliciting bribes to clear payment bills related to a construction project. This suicide note, which has never been made public, was addressed to the company director and his wife.

The case gained attention due to the involvement of the World Bank-aided Road work project executed by a Malaysian-Indian joint venture called PATI-BEL. The project was part of the Kerala State Transport Project (KSTR), a flagship initiative of the state's Public Works Department (PWD). The Kerala government, under the Congress-led administration, initiated a probe into the allegations following Lee See Been's suicide.

The probe was carried out by the state's Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, but it did not yield significant results at the time. The opposition, including Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, demanded the CEC's resignation over allegations of irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The CEC Gyanesh Kumar had been removed from his position shortly after Lee See Been's suicide and was not given any fresh posting in the state.

The controversy surrounding Gyanesh Kumar's case and the allegations of irregularities in electoral processes has led to the recent reopening of the investigation by the state government.