The Delhi High Court Today (Jan 13) criticized the AAP-led Delhi government for delaying actions on the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report. Justice Sachin Datta stated, “The way you have dragged your feet raises doubts about your bona fides,” urging the government to have promptly forwarded the report to the Speaker and initiated a discussion in the Assembly.
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NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court today criticized the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government for its handling of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report.
A single-judge bench led by Justice Sachin Datta pointed out that the government deliberately delayed actions related to the report, preventing the Assembly session from being conducted.
“The way you have dragged your feet raises doubts about your bona fides. You should have promptly forwarded the reports to the Speaker and initiated a discussion in the House,”
-the court remarked.
It said that the Delhi government’s delay in sending the CAG reports to the Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena and the way the matter was handled by the government raised “doubts about your (the AAP’s) bona fides”.
The court posted a plea by BJP MLAs, including Vijender Gupta, seeking a special session of the Delhi Assembly for later today (Jan 13), and said-
“We are at a stage that the elections are around the corner. How can there be a special session now?”
BACKGROUND
Seven BJP MLAs have approached the Delhi High Court, requesting that 14 reports by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) about Delhi’s administration be presented before the legislative assembly.
The move was made on Monday and highlights ongoing concerns about accountability and governance in the city.
Senior lawyers representing the petitioners presented the matter before a bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela.
The court instructed that the case be scheduled for a hearing in the “normal course.”
This is not the first time the legislators have raised this issue in court. According to the petitioners, despite an earlier writ petition demanding the tabling of these CAG reports, the Delhi government has yet to comply.
When questioned by the bench about the urgency of the matter, the senior lawyer explained that once elections are announced, assembly sessions might not be held. This could delay any further action on the CAG reports. The court responded, “Normal course.”
The petitioners include BJP leader Vijender Gupta and MLAs Mohan Singh Bisht, Om Prakash Sharma, Ajay Kumar Mahawar, Abhay Verma, Anil Kumar Bajpai, and Jitendra Mahajan. They had previously filed a case regarding the same issue.
The new plea, filed through lawyers Neeraj and Satya Ranjan Swain, mentions that the Speaker of the Delhi Legislative Assembly has yet to receive the reports, despite earlier court directions.
“Hon’ble Speaker informed the petitioners that he is not in receipt of the CAG Reports. On 20.12.2024, when the petitioner no.1 again enquired about receiving the CAG reports, the Hon’ble Speaker of the Delhi Legislative Assembly apprised that he has not yet received the CAG reports till 12:51 PM,”
-the petition stated.
“This is a clear violation of the statement/undertaking given by the senior counsel on behalf of the GNCTD before this Hon’ble Court,”
-it added.
The BJP MLAs have urged the court to direct the Delhi government and the Chief Minister/Finance Minister to ensure the 14 CAG reports are forwarded to the Speaker in a “time-bound manner.”
This, they argue, is essential for taking “all necessary and consequential action.”
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