HC quashes ‘Nava Kerala’ welfare survey

THe Kerala heights margaret court on tues stopped-up(a) all proceedings associated with the say government’s ‘Nava Kerala - Citizen Response Programme’ -- a door-to-door welfare study intended to collect feedback from people using volunteers and government funds -- underlining that the expenditure incurred in the implementation of the programme is in violation of the rules of business.The order was passed by a bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar VM, while hearing two public interest litigations (PILs) challenging the government order sanctioning ₹20 crore for the ‘Nava Kerala’ survey on grounds that it is a political campaign, masquerading as a government programme, ahead of assembly elections in the state.The petitioners argued that the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) had “insider knowledge” of the ‘Nava Kerala’ programme, as early as September 2025, and began preparing its members beforehand to flood the ‘volunteer force’ for the survey, thereby turning the government programme into a political campaign of the party on the eve of elections. They also alleged that the use of the ‘Samoohya Sannadha Sena portal’ for choosing volunteers for the welfare study was “illegal” as it had been set up to deploy volunteers in 2020 for assistance during natural disasters. The conduct of the programme also runs contrary to the rules of business of the state government.The state government argued that it cannot be called upon to explain its programmes based on a circular issued by a party chief to its cadres. It also argued that there is no illegality or financial impropriety in the conduct of the welfare study as it received cabinet approval, administrative and financial sanction.After hearing both parties, the high court concluded that while the state is not debarred from undertaking welfare programmes, any expenditure incurred must have a financial sanction and pass muster the financial rules.“We are not questioning the wisdom of the cabinet to undertake such study, but for executing and implementing such study, funds de hors the financial rules are utilised and such illegalities if are brought on record, the court has a duty to declare such utilisation of funds as illegal,” it said.Since the study is intended to be carried out in a narrow window between two model codes of conduct of the local body polls and expected assembly polls, the high court questioned whether the government would have the time to collate, compare and study the lessons drawn from the welfare programme.Quashing the order of the information and public relations department to utilise ₹20 crore for the programme, the court made it clear that the expenditure incurred in implementation of such programme is in violation of the rules of business.