The state government has granted permission to prosecute in the complaint that Gnanesh Kumar demanded a bribe of Rs. 2 crore during road expansion work in Kerala in 2006.
In the state of Kerala, Gnanesh Kumar (the current Chief Election Commissioner) was serving as the Secretary of the Public Works Department in 2006. During his tenure in 2006, road expansion work was also carried out between Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam. Road contractor Sajan has filed a complaint alleging that during this work, a bribe of Rs. 2 crore was demanded for issuing the receipt for the road contract.
The MC road expansion work between Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam was under way. This work was contracted to a company called K.S.T.P.
Following a complaint against Gnanesh Kumar after 20 years, the Anti-Corruption Special Wing sought permission from the state government to register a case and conduct an investigation against him. Following this, the state Home Department has granted permission to register a case and investigate Gnanesh Kumar.
Earlier, Lee See Been, an engineer from Malaysia who was working on the state transport project during the same period, died by suicide. His suicide note also mentioned the name of then Public Works Department Secretary Gnanesh Kumar (the current Chief Election Commissioner). The note contained allegations that bribes were demanded to release funds for this road renovation project involving a Malaysian company, and that there were delays in payment.
While an investigation into this incident was under way, Gnanesh Kumar was transferred and later joined the central government service. Following this, the investigation into this case was also put on hold.
In this situation, the state Home Department has instructed the Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to resume the investigation into Gyanesh Kumar, which was shelved in 2006. In addition, the government has ordered that all files related to the investigation conducted in this case in 2006 be submitted.
Alleging irregularities in the special intensive revision of the voter list, members of the Cockroach Janata Party are staging protests, demanding that Gyanesh Kumar, who is currently serving as Chief Election Commissioner, resign. This protest is also being supported by the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, and Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress.
In this situation, the investigation into the old case was accelerated again, and the new case registration has also increased the pressure on Gyanesh Kumar.
