Thiruvananthapuram: The Home Department has ordered a Vigilance investigation into allegations that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar demanded a bribe of ₹2 crore during his tenure as the State Public Works Department (PWD) Secretary. The allegations are connected to the suicide of Lee See Ben, an engineer with Pathibela, a Malaysian company that undertook a KSTP road construction contract. The decision has been taken to reopen the Vigilance inquiry that was originally registered in 2007 and subsequently closed.

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The action follows a complaint submitted to the Vigilance Director by Sajan, a resident of Chadayamangalam and a friend of Lee See Ben. According to Sajan's complaint, Lee See Ben had directly told him that Gyanesh Kumar demanded a ₹2 crore bribe to clear bills amounting to approximately ₹17 crore. The complaint also states that bills approved by engineers had been withheld without valid reason since May 2006. Furthermore, it alleges that media reports at the time indicated Gyanesh Kumar's name was mentioned in the suicide note; however, he was not questioned during the initial investigation.

The Vigilance Director had raised doubts over whether information attributed to a deceased person would merely constitute hearsay. However, legal advice clarified that statements made by a deceased person regarding the circumstances leading to their death can be admitted as evidence.