PIL In Kerala High Court Challenges State's 'Nava Kerala Citizens Response Programme' Alleging Misuse Of Public Funds

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Kerala High Court challenging the State government's proposed 'Nava Kerala Citizens Response Programme', alleging that the survey is a politically motivated exercise intended to benefit the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections and amounts to a misuse of public funds and government machinery.

The division bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V M, on Tuesday (14 January) directed the government pleader to get instruction from the State on the matter while posting it along with connected matters.

The petitioner has contended that the large-scale door-to-door survey, proposed to cover nearly 80 lakh households, is unnecessary, arbitrary and unconstitutional.

According to the petition, the controversy came to light following multiple media reports beginning October 7, 2025. These reports described the programme as a welfare and public opinion survey being handled directly by the Chief Minister's Office, with surveyors comprising college students, government officials and volunteers.

The petitioner submitted that the State of Kerala already possesses a robust and well-funded institutional framework for collecting and analysing socio-economic data. The plea cites the work of the Kerala State Planning Board, annual Economic Review reports, the Working Group on Social Security and Welfare under the 14th Five-Year Plan (2022–2027), and the State's Extreme Poverty Eradication Programme, which involved extensive household-level surveys conducted between 2021 and 2025.

The petitioner relies on government orders, cabinet decisions, and replies given on the floor of the Legislative Assembly to argue that comprehensive, verified data on welfare beneficiaries, poverty, pensions, scholarships and social security already exists. It is further argued that launching a fresh survey at the tail end of the current government serves no genuine policy purpose and places an avoidable burden on the public exchequer.

Invoking the Doctrine of Public Trust, the petitioner argues that the use of public funds and state machinery for partisan or electoral purposes is illegal, malafide and violative of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.

The petition alleges that the programme would confer unlawful political advantage on the ruling front by enabling a state-funded, door-to-door campaign conducted by party-aligned volunteers, amounting to backdoor appointments and lack of financial accountability.

The PIL seeks a direction restraining the State from misusing public funds for political or partisan purposes. It has sought an order directing the government to disclose the detailed financial plan and funding source for the proposed survey.

An interim relief to halt the survey, which reportedly commenced on January 1, 2026, and to restrain the release of funds until the petition is finally decided.

The Court heard the submissions of the petitioner and directed the matter to be posted on 21 January along with the connected matters on the request of the government pleader.

Case Title: Aloshious Xavier v State of Kerala and Ors.

Case No: WP(PIL) 8/ 2026

Counsel for Petitioner: Tissy Rose K Cheriyan, Ashika JOshy, Amrutha Selvaraj, Jain Jaison Mathew