The Kerala High Court has ruled that foreign organizations must secure permission from the central government before conducting surveys in India. Justice PV Kunhikrishnan, presiding over a single bench, made this observation while disposing of a plea seeking to quash criminal proceedings against an Indian company that conducted a survey in Thiruvananthapuram in 2010.
The survey, conducted by the Indian company Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) PLC on behalf of the US-based Princeton Survey Research Associates (PSRA), included questions targeting the Muslim community, raising concerns about potential communal disharmony.
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Rejecting the plea to dismiss the criminal proceedings, the court emphasized that allowing such surveys without proper approval could compromise national security and religious harmony. The bench noted the absence of prior sanction from the central government and described the survey as “suspicious.”
Justice Kunhikrishnan stated: “An investigation by the state police is not enough in this case. If these types of surveys are allowed to continue, the same will affect the security of our country and importantly religious harmony. The Union government should take this very seriously. If there is any intention to undermine the integrity of our country through such surveys, appropriate legal action should be taken.”
The court directed the Fort Police Station in Thiruvananthapuram to submit a detailed investigation report to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of External Affairs within one month. This ruling underscores the necessity of regulatory oversight to prevent surveys that may jeopardize India’s social and national integrity.
