Thiruvananthapuram, Oct. 6 -- The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) inquiry ordered by Keralam Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is linked to a World Bank-funded road-upgrade project dating back to his tenure as state Public Works Department (PWD) secretary.
Kumar, a 1988-batch IAS officer of the Keralam cadre, headed the PWD when the Keralam State Transport Project (KSTP) was awarded and implemented. Allegations concerning the project first surfaced in 2006, leading to a preliminary VACB inquiry. The latest probe will continue the investigation into those allegations.
Chennithala said the inquiry was ordered on October 4 after obtaining legal advice and consulting Chief Minister VD Satheesan.
The complaint was filed by a Congress leader, while the Congress-led state government ordered the inquiry amid Opposition demands for Kumar's removal as CEC over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Opposition parties have criticised the SIR exercise, alleging that the voter-list revision could disenfranchise voters. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had on September 24 sought Kumar's resignation, citing "objections raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi".
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.