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An official investigation has been initiated against Kerala’s former Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar, after serious irregularities were found in his driving licence records. A recent report by Mathrubhumi revealed that the ex-minister got his driving license issued a couple of months before he actually turned 18. Authorities are now probing how this happened and why it was not taken into notice despite Ganesh Kumar having renewed his license several times.

According to records, Kerala’s former transport minister K B Ganesh Kumar was born on 25/5/1966. His driving license shows that it was originally issued on February 13, 1984. From his date of birth, he would only turn 18 on 25/5/1984. Clearly, there is a mismatch here. The Minister was issued his driving license 2-3 months before he even turned 18, the legal age to qualify for one. This is a clear violation of the law.

If a person is found to have been issued an Indian driving license before turning 18, the license itself won’t stay valid. It will be cancelled. The relevant authorities will seek an explanation from the accused, prior to this. No such action has yet been taken in the case of the ex-minister. This is despite the fact that Ganesh Kumar has renewed his license several times in the past. His current license is valid till July 10, 2028.

The Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) has now begun a detailed investigation into this. It will check if any rules were bypassed during the process of issuing the license.

The present Transport Minister has tasked the South Zone Deputy Transport Commissioner to lead this probe. Officials have stated that strict legal action will be taken against any officer found to have breached licensing norms in issuing the minister’s driving license.

Officials have also identified another interesting and equally serious irregularity in Ganesh Kumar’s license. It had the title ‘MLA’ added next to his name! The rules do not permit the addition of such titles to official documents like driving licenses. The Transport Department has now decided to remove the title from the licence. Concerned authorities have been directed to update the official databases incorporating the corrections.

Two serious offences- underage issuance of driving license and illegal addition of a title to an official government document. Things will get tough for the former minister if the findings of the investigation are against him. He may even lose his license.

Ganesh Kumar has stated that the ‘MLA’ title was added by officials and that he was not aware of it. The investigation is expected to reveal the realities in this case. It will examine if proper procedures were followed back in the day. The findings of this probe will decide the next course of action.

The controversy aside, K B Ganesh Kumar is an avid auto-enthusiast. He has made several headlines in the past, with his love for vehicles. The ex-minister even has a huge collection of miniature cars and RC (remote controlled) vehicles. He even owns an RC helicopter that flies on Methanol.

More interestingly, he was the first person to take delivery of the new Tata Sierra in Kerala. He bought the SUV from Gokulam Motors. The handover took place at an event organized in Gokulam Grand Resort, Kumarakom.

Ganesh Kumar chose the Andaman Adventure (yellow) colour for his Sierra. The new Sierra is available in three engine options- 1.5L naturally aspirated petrol, 1.5L direct injection turbocharged petrol and 1.5L diesel.

Ganesh Kumar, who is currently serving as an MLA, is also an actor in the Malayalam film industry. Back in the day, he used to own the original Tata Sierra. It had a VIP number- ‘KL 01 D 1’ and was finished in Grey. The vehicle served him for long and was quite famous in Trivandrum, where he is based out of. As for the new Sierra, the MLA is a fan of its features (particularly the level 2 ADAS) and the ride comfort.