In a significant development, the Supreme Court of India has provided relief to the Delhi government led by Arvind Kejriwal by issuing a notice to the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) following a petition filed by the AAP government. The petition accused the DJB of failing to release funds to the entity responsible for supplying potable water in the national capital.
The bench, headed by Chief Justice D.Y Chandrachud and comprising Justices J.B Pardiwala and Manoj Mishra, sought information regarding the outstanding payments during the hearing on Friday. Additionally, the court directed the Chief Secretary of Finance of the Delhi government to ensure the release of the necessary funds.
This notice comes after the Supreme Court had previously issued a notice to Delhi’s Chief Secretary of Finance on April 1, in response to the AAP government’s plea. The government had alleged that despite budgetary approval by the legislative assembly, officials were not releasing funds to the DJB. Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing the AAP government, highlighted the non-cooperation of civil servants and pointed out that ₹1,927 crores had not been disbursed to the DJB. Singhvi warned that the funds would lapse if not released by March 31. The court, however, noted that the decision could be reversed, regardless of the March 31 deadline.
