Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said on October 4 that he had referred a petition concerning Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s earlier tenure as the state’s Public Works Department secretary to the Vigilance Director. His public statement calls for detailed examination and any further action required by law, while expressly rejecting prejudgment.
The petition concerns alleged irregularities linked to the Kerala State Transport Project in 2006, the death of project engineer Lee See Been, and claims that outside influence derailed an earlier preliminary inquiry. These are allegations requiring investigation. The minister’s announcement does not establish corruption or responsibility for the engineer’s death.
Independent reports by The News Minute and The Indian Express corroborate the new referral. The News Minute also reports that an RTI reply it obtained earlier this year said the previous inquiry had closed because no irregularities were noticed. That reported earlier explanation should be considered alongside the current claim that the inquiry was improperly stopped.
The newly announced examination concerns events two decades old; it is the October 4 referral that is new. No original new investigation order, earlier closure report or response from Kumar to this referral was available in the material reviewed. An inquiry is not a charge or a finding of guilt.