The Kerala High Court has halted the state's Nava Kerala Citizen Response Programme, citing violations of financial rules and its timing before elections. The programme involved a door-to-door survey funded by government money. Petitioners claimed it was a political campaign in disguise.
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday issued an order stopping all proceedings related to the Nava Kerala - Citizen Response Programme, a door-to-door welfare study aimed at gathering public feedback through volunteers and state funds. The bench, comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar VM, heard two public interest litigations challenging the government's allocation of ₹20 crore for the initiative by the information and public relations department.
Petitioners argued that the programme, launched ahead of assembly elections, functioned as a political campaign by the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist). They claimed the party had prior knowledge since September 2025 and directed members to join the volunteer force. Additionally, the use of the Samoohya Sannadha Sena portal for selecting volunteers was deemed illegal, as it was originally created in 2020 for disaster response. The petitioners further stated that the programme violated the state's rules of business.
The state government defended the programme, asserting that it had received cabinet approval and proper administrative and financial sanctions. It maintained there was no illegality or financial impropriety.
The court acknowledged that the state could pursue welfare initiatives but emphasized that any spending must comply with financial rules. In its ruling, the bench stated: “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.” The court also raised concerns about the programme's tight timeline, squeezed between model codes of conduct for local body polls and upcoming assembly elections, questioning the feasibility of analyzing the collected data.
Ultimately, the high court quashed the order sanctioning the ₹20 crore expenditure, declaring it a violation of business rules.
