Relief For LDF Government In Kerala

A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi passed the interim order while issuing notice on the state's Special Leave Petition challenging the High Court verdict. The bench, however, directed the Kerala government to submit a detailed report, at an appropriate stage, outlining the expenditure incurred on the survey.

At the outset of the hearing, Chief Justice Kant questioned the very basis of the challenge. "Why cannot a state assess the impact of its schemes to explore how they can be improved? What is wrong with that? he asked.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the state government, told the court that not a single paisa had been paid to volunteers participating in the survey. Counsel for the petitioners countered that the programme was essentially a "public relations campaign" by the ruling party at the expense of the state exchequer.

The counsel argued that the CPI(M) state secretary had prior information about the scheme even before its official notification and alleged that Rs 23 crore had been allocated outside the appropriation bill to fund the initiative.

"This is a publicity scheme on the eve of assembly elections using government funds. That is the High Court's scathing finding," he submitted.

Despite these arguments, the Supreme Court bench proceeded to stay the High Court's order, allowing the survey to continue.

The Nava Keralam mass survey, launched on January 1, 2026, was scheduled to conclude on February 28. A dedicated portal was created for the project, requiring volunteers to register in advance before participating in the door-to-door exercise.