Thiruvananthapuram, Feb. 18 -- The Kerala High Court on Tuesday stopped all proceedings associated with the State government's 'Nava Kerala - Citizen Response Programme' -- a door-to-door welfare study intended to collect feedback from people using volunteers and government funds -- underlining that the expenditure incurred in the implementation of the programme is in violation of the rules of business.

The order was passed by a bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar VM, while hearing two public interest litigations (PILs) challenging the government order sanctioning Rs.20 crore for the 'Nava Kerala' survey on grounds that it is a political campaign, masquerading as a government programme, ahead of assembly elections in...