Keralam orders preliminary probe into allegations against CEC Gyanesh Kumar
publishers 10articles 16first reported 4 Oct, 11:38 UTCdeveloping since 5 Oct · 16 editions
The Keralam government has ordered a preliminary Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau inquiry into allegations involving Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during his tenure as the State’s Public Works Department secretary about 20 years ago.
The inquiry concerns a contract awarded to the Indo-Malaysian PATI-BEL consortium to reconstruct a 127-km stretch of M.C. Road under the Kerala State Transport Project. Allegations include bribery, irregularities in awarding work, delayed payments and losses to the exchequer. They are also linked to the reported 2006 suicide in Kuala Lumpur of consortium chief engineer Lee See Been, who allegedly named Kumar and other officials in suicide notes.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said he forwarded a complaint from Congress leader Malayinkeezhu Venugopal to the Vigilance Director for examination and action according to law. Venugopal alleged that earlier inquiries failed to follow due process and were derailed by external influence.
The Hindu reported that Director General of Prosecution T. Asaf Ali advised the government that there was no legal bar to investigating Kumar for alleged abetment to suicide, despite the passage of time. The claims against Kumar have not been established.
The BJP’s Keralam unit questioned the timing of the revived inquiry. BJP MLA B.B. Gopakumar said anyone found responsible should be punished but argued that successive State governments had not acted for two decades.
The action comes amid separate opposition protests demanding Kumar’s resignation over the Election Commission’s revision of voter rolls. India’s Supreme Court has issued notice to the commission on petitions concerning alleged unilateral decisions by Kumar.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 5 articles, 5 with the publisher's own text; 3 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 13 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
- Publishers
- 10
- Source articles
- 16
- Given to the writer
- 5, 5 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
- 3
- This version written
- 13 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- kept as written
- Publication gate
- passed
- Human review
- none
WHAT THE EDITOR DID
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