The Supreme Court provided relief to the Kerala government by staying the Kerala High Court’s interim order that had paused the state’s ‘Nava Kerala Survey’. The High Court had stopped the survey following complaints from the Kerala Students Union, alleging political motives and misuse of public funds. In response, the state government challenged the High Court’s decision in the Supreme Court.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the state, argued that assessing the effectiveness of welfare schemes and collecting data for administrative purposes falls under the government’s jurisdiction. The Supreme Court agreed, emphasizing that governments have the right to conduct such surveys to evaluate the impact of public spending on welfare programs. The Court questioned the reasoning behind halting the survey, defending the government’s role in assessing program outcomes.
The Supreme Court allowed the survey to continue and instructed the state government to provide a detailed report on the estimated Rs 20 crore expenditure. The Court scheduled further hearings on April 13, marking a legal victory for the Pinarayi Vijayan government and affirming the executive’s authority to conduct policy evaluations during politically sensitive times.
