Kerala HC rejects KSEB official K. Bimal's discharge plea in vigilance cases

The Kerala High Court on 24 October 2026 dismissed two revision petitions filed by K. Bimal, then Senior Assistant, Electrical Section, Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), Chowara, seeking discharge in two vigilance cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The court upheld the sanction to prosecute him and directed that its order be sent to the special court to expedite the trial.

What Happened

The Enquiry Commissioner and Special Judge (Vigilance), Muvattupuzha, had dismissed his discharge petitions on 31 March 2026. According to the prosecution, Gireesh Kumar, then cashier of the same office, and the Senior Assistant conspired in 2001 and 2002 to misappropriate KSEB funds. In the 2001 case the prosecution alleges that Rs 75,411 was misappropriated by the cashier and Rs 15,983 by the Senior Assistant; in the 2002 case, it alleges Rs 98,432 and Rs 35,457 respectively. The charges are under Sections 13(1)(c) and 13(1)(d) read with 13(2) of the Act and sections of the Indian Penal Code.

The petitioner argued that the sanction to prosecute was invalid because it was issued by the Chief Engineer and not the Board. The court held that under KSEB's 2022 delegation of powers, the Chief Engineer (HRM) is the disciplinary authority for cadres up to Assistant Executive Engineer, and so is the authority competent to remove him under Section 19(1)(c). It ruled the sanction legal.

On the merits, the court upheld the special judge's reasoning that the Senior Assistant's duty was to prepare the consumer ledger from duplicate bills and that he should have noticed short collections, and noted the prosecution's allegation of false entries in that ledger.

What It Means

The trial of both accused will now proceed before the special court at Muvattupuzha. The ruling confirms that for employees of a body such as KSEB, sanction under Section 19(1)(c) comes from the authority competent to remove them, which can be an officer holding delegated disciplinary powers.

These are allegations, not findings of guilt; the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court, and due process continues.

Anyone asked for a bribe by an official can report it to their state's anti-corruption bureau; Oquilia's guide to every state's helpline is at https://www.oquilia.com/report-a-bribe.

Source: High Court judgment