Protests against Gyanesh Kumar: What was the 2006 Keralam corruption probe that led to his removal from post?

Protests against Gyanesh Kumar: What was the 2006 Keralam corruption probe that led to his removal from post?

Key points

• 6 min read Thiruvananthapuram Oct 7, 2026 06: 40 AM IST First published on: Oct 6, 2026 at 04: 47 PM IST.
• In March 2010, then Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, a CPI(M) leader, informed the Legislative Assembly that two Vigilance probes concerning the KSTP were ongoing.
• Initial discussions were completed during the last lap of the CPI(M)-led administration from 1996 to 2001.
• LoP Rahul Gandhi climbs barricades during a protest in New Delhi for the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, on October 6.

Protests against Gyanesh Kumar: What was the 2006 Keralam corruption probe that led to his removal from post? At a time when CEC Gyanesh Kumar is under fire over the SIR process, the Keralam administration has reopened an earlier graft case that was followed by his resignation as PWD Secretary. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Written by: Shaju Philip.

Keralam's Congress-led administration on Sunday (October 4) directed the state's Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to re-open a 2006 probe into an alleged claim of bribery against Chief Election Commissioner of India Gyanesh Kumar.

It comes as Congress leaders, including Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, have demanded the CEC's resignation over allegations of irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

LoP Rahul Gandhi climbs barricades during a protest in New Delhi for the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, on October 6. (Express photo by Abhinav Saha) At the time, Kumar, a 1988-batch IAS officer of the Keralam cadre, served as Secretary of the state Public Works Department (PWD).

Meanwhile, the bribery claim stemmed from the suicide note of a Malaysian engineer. This person was part of a World Bank-aided road work project executed by a Malaysian and Indian joint venture called PATI-BEL. What was the project?

Meanwhile, the Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP) has been a flagship project of the state PWD. Costing Rs 1, 600 crore, it was envisaged to modernise and renovate select major roads of 1, 600 km under the PWD with a World Bank loan.

Initial discussions were completed during the last lap of the CPI(M)-led administration from 1996 to 2001. P J Joseph, the leader of the breakaway faction Kerala Congress (Joseph), was then the PWD minister. Joseph, then part of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) alliance, is now with the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) alliance.

KSTP was the first project in the state to be associated with an overseas contractor firm, with the Keralam-based Bhageeratha Engineering and Malaysian firm PATI joining hands for the bidding. The joint venture took up works worth Rs 216 crore, mainly involving the modernisation of the main central road from the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram in the south to Angamaly in Central Keralam. The project would build the state's first road designed with novel surfacing techniques.

PATI-BEL began their work in December 2002 after entering into a final agreement with the then Congress-led administration. IUML leader M K Muneer was the PWD minister. Nevertheless, the administration had handed over the project to the contractor without acquiring the land for road development. The notification for land acquisition was issued only in 2004. In October 2006, the contractor informed the administration that they could not complete the work within the original deadline, citing the delay in land acquisition.

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As construction costs escalated, PATI-BEL demanded a 30% growth in the contract amount. The finance department, led by Thomas Isaac under the CPI(M) administration, refused the demand and sought the World Bank's permission to re-tender the work. What was the suicide case?

Lee See Been, 54, was the chief project manager of the works executed by PATI-BEL. In 2006, the firm submitted bills worth Rs 18 crore for payment. According to Legislative Assembly documents from 2007, PATI-BEL authorities visited the ministers a number of times to seek payment.

As the chief project manager, Lee was reportedly under pressure from subcontractors and construction material vendors who sought their dues. As the work obtained delayed, the Congress-led Opposition additionally put pressure on the CPI(M) administration. It was the former alliance that had awarded the work to the venture.

After the CPI(M) administration conceding to PATI-BEL's demand for a 30% rise in project cost, assembly documents show Congress had demanded the firm be blacklisted. It additionally alleged that the CPI(M) administration had an understanding with PATI-BEL.

As pressure mounted from various quarters in Keralam, Lee. This person had by then returned to Malaysia, died by suicide on November 11, 2006, in Kuala Lumpur. According to reports, he had left a suicide note addressed to the firm director and his wife, alleging that PWD office-holders had sought bribes for clearing the bills.

According to It was additionally, the suicide note had included the name of then PWD secretary Gyanesh Kumar. The note was never created public. What did the vigilance probe find?

Meanwhile, the death spotlighted problems including bureaucratic hurdles, corruption and delays in executing public works. A month after Lee's death, the CPI(M) administration removed Kumar from his post. The administration additionally ordered a probe by the Vigilance Bureau to examine the allegations. As the work could not be completed within the deadline, in a related development, the administration decided to cancel the contract with PATI-BEL. Subsequently, the administration re-tendered the work.

In March 2010, then Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, a CPI(M) leader, informed the Legislative Assembly that two Vigilance probes concerning the KSTP were ongoing. One was regarding hiring foreign consultants during 2003-04 (when Congress was in power), and another probe was ordered in December 2006 (a month after Been's death) concerning lapses in KSTP work.

Nevertheless, the probe did not proceed. According to Congress leader Malayinkeezhu Venugopal, on whose petition Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala ordered reopening the probe last week, the earlier investigation was torpedoed midway. Kumar, who was removed as the PWD secretary in December 2006, was not given any fresh posting in the state. When the Congress-led UPA was in power, he then went on central deputation to New Delhi. CPI(M) had additionally backed the UPA-I. What happened to the road work?

In early 2007, the CPI(M) administration cancelled the contract with PATI-BEL on the grounds that the delay in completion would invite action from the World Bank. It had funded the KSTP. Despite re-tendering, no entity came forward to bid for it. A year afterwards, the administration agreed to renew the contract with PATI-BEL itself. PATI-BEL took over the project again after the administration allotted an further Rs 72 crore apart from the original Rs 216 crore.

Congress, then in Opposition, had asked the CPI(M) administration to explain why the work was awarded to PATI-BEL when a probe was ongoing. Opposition leader Oommen Chandy had then demanded Finance Minister Thomas Isaac clarify the circumstances of the renewal, given that Isaac had demanded blacklisting of PATI-BEL when the work was delayed. © The Indian Express Pvt Ltd. Shaju Philip is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express.

Taken together, the developments around protests against Gyanesh Kumar: What was the 2006 Keralam corruption probe that point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.