Kerala reopens 2006 bribery case against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar

India's Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar faces a reopened Kerala Vigilance probe into a Rs 1,600-crore World Bank highway project scandal from 2006, linked to a contractor's suicide note alleging bribery. The reinvestigation was ordered on October 4. The case involves the Kerala State Transport Project, where a Rs 216-crore contract faced delays and cost disputes. Malaysian project manager Lee See Been died by suicide in 2006, reportedly leaving a note accusing PWD officials, including Kumar, of seeking bribes. Kumar was removed as PWD secretary after the allegations but never faced prosecution. The Kerala government now seeks to investigate why the old probe stalled, amid ongoing opposition criticism of Kumar's handling of electoral roll revisions.