US Edition
Kerala HC Ruling Spurs Allegations of Misuse of Public Funds by Ruling Party
The court halted a Rs 20 crore household survey citing lack of financial approval and misuse of public funds ahead of Kerala's April Assembly elections, petitioners said.
- On Tuesday, February 17, 2026, the Kerala High Court quashed the government order dated October 10, 2025, launching the Nava Kerala Citizen Response Programme, allowing PILs by Aloshious Xavier and Mubas M H.
- Petitioners argued the programme launched in January 2026 aimed to reach 80 lakh households but misused public funds for a partisan campaign ahead of Assembly elections scheduled later this year.
- The court found the Rs 20 crore allocation irregular, setting aside the authorisation to use funds from the Special PR Campaign and directing the Information and Public Relations department to halt implementation.
- For the LDF government, the court's decision halts ward-level household visits and restricts pre-election outreach, impacting the programme ahead of later this year.
- Petitioners warned the survey could enable data harvesting shortly before the 2026 Assembly elections, and the bench stressed expenditure must have financial sanction, affirming the court's duty to declare illegal utilisation of funds.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Major setback for Pinarayi Vijayan govt as Kerala HC strikes down 'Nava Kerala Citizen Response Programme'
In a massive political blow to the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government in Kerala, the Kerala High Court on Tuesday cancelled the state government's order permitting the controversial 'Nava Kerala Citizen Response Programme'. The verdict effectively halts a large-scale door-to-door survey ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled later this year. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Saumitra Sen and Justice VM Syam Kumar delivered the ruling…
Kerala HC quashes LDF’s Nava Kerala survey ahead of Assembly polls, cites lack of financial sanction
The Kerala High Court has nullified the government's order to conduct the Nava Kerala survey, deeming the initiative unlawful..Nava Kerala survey, Kerala High Court order, government survey quashed, political survey allegations, election survey misuse, Kerala survey legal challenge, citizen response program controversy, High Court ruling Kerala, government fund misuse survey, Assembly election survey scrutiny, unlawful government order, Kerala s…
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