The Delhi High Court on Friday decided to prepone the hearing of a petition filed by several BJP MLAs, including Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta, who are seeking the tabling of 12 Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports in the Delhi Assembly. Originally scheduled for December 9, the hearing has been moved up to December 2, aligning with the ongoing Winter Session of the Delhi Legislative Assembly, which concludes on December 3.
Justice Sanjeev Narula approved the early hearing application, citing the reasons mentioned by the petitioners for the urgency of the matter. Advocate Anil Soni, representing the BJP MLAs, emphasized the critical nature of the reports which cover topics from liquor duty and pollution to finance, and argued that the assembly’s ongoing session was the appropriate time for these issues to be addressed.
The plea contends that these CAG reports from the fiscal years 2017-2018 to 2021-2022 have been withheld by Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, who also serves as the finance minister. It alleges that despite multiple requests from the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi, the reports have not been forwarded for presentation before the assembly, a move described by the petitioners as a “deliberate suppression of vital information.”
This suppression, the petition argues, breaches democratic principles and obstructs proper scrutiny of government actions and expenditures, thus raising significant concerns about the government’s transparency and accountability.
On October 29, the High Court issued notices to various respondents including the Delhi government, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the LG, the CAG of India, and the Accountant General (Audit) of Delhi, seeking their responses to the allegations made in the petition.
The petitioners have urged the court to direct the finance department to propose to the LG the exercise of his constitutional duties concerning the tabling of these reports, as per Article 151(2) of the Constitution of India, Regulation 210(1) of the Regulations on Audit and Accounts, 2007, and Section 48 of the Government of National Capital Territory Act, 1991.
