HC quashes Nava Kerala Survey; govt may have to return money

KOCHI: With the Kerala High Court quashing the Nava Kerala Survey by pointing out political motives and legal violations, the government may have to return the money spent on it. If the government does not file an appeal, the Rs 20 crore allotted to the Public Relations Department will have to be returned to the state treasury. The government will also have to clarify how much of this amount was spent during the one-and-a-half-month-long survey.

The court said that funds cannot be allocated or spent under the name of a "Special PR Campaign" without including it in the Rules of Business (official government procedures). The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice V M Syam Kumar quashed the order that sanctioned Rs 20 crore for the survey.

The survey process had begun while the model code of conduct for local body elections was in force. It started on January 1 and was scheduled to continue until the 28th of this month. The aim was reportedly to complete it before the announcement of the Assembly elections. The court questioned why such a long data collection process was not carried out earlier if it was related to welfare schemes.

The court also cancelled the October 10, 202,5 government order related to the survey and all subsequent proceedings. The petitioners were KSU state president Aloshious Xavier and M.H. Mubas, a native of Odakkali. They had alleged that the survey was conducted by the government at the call of a political party, aiming at the upcoming Assembly elections.

The court observed that the allegation could not be dismissed lightly, especially since CPM state secretary M V Govindan had issued a circular to party units asking volunteers to take part in the survey even before the government order and cabinet decision. Govindan was also made a party in the case.

Volunteers for the survey were selected through a portal meant for choosing members of the Disaster Response Task Force. The court said this portal was not intended for conducting surveys. As per the Rules of Business, planning and survey activities come under the Planning and Economic Affairs Department, while the supervision of Nava Kerala projects is the responsibility of the Programme Implementation and Evaluation Department. The court also observed that assigning the survey to the Public Relations Department under the label of a “Special PR Campaign” and sanctioning Rs 20 crore for it was a shortcut and not in line with proper procedures.