Thrissur (Kerala) | Leader of Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan on Wednesday said the Kerala High Court verdict on the Nava Kerala Survey vindicated the Congress-led UDF's stand that taxpayer money was used for election campaigning by the ruling government.

Claiming it a "shameless act", Satheesan alleged that public funds were sought to be used to publicise the government's "so-called achievements" through Left Front activists and workers.

In a setback to the ruling CPI(M), the High Court on Tuesday set aside a government order sanctioning Rs 20 crore for the Nava Kerala Citizen Response Programme, describing it as a "colourable exercise of executive power" and a violation of the Rules of Business.

With elections approaching, the government used public funds to erect hoardings across the state claiming it had transformed Kerala, Satheesan alleged.

"This was done at a time when the treasury is empty, and the state is under huge fiscal stress," he told reporters.

Referring to the bail granted to Kandararu Rajeevaru, the tantri (chief priest) of Sabarimala temple, in cases related to the alleged misappropriation of gold from the Lord Ayyappa shrine, Satheesan claimed that all the accused would soon secure bail, leaving no evidence against them.

He alleged that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case had not collected all the evidence and that the investigation would become "a joke" if all the accused were released on bail.

"That is the concern we had raised in the Assembly," he said.

Rajeevaru was earlier granted bail by a vigilance court in Kollam in cases related to the alleged loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum).