Delhi HC dismisses plea by 7 BJP MLAs seeking to table CAG reports before Assembly elections

The petitioners, BJP MLAs Vijender Gupta, Mohan Singh Bisht, Om Prakash Sharma, Ajay Kumar Mahawar, Abhay Verma, Anil Bajpai, and Jitender Mahajan, had submitted that the said Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports “are connected immoderate of the astir captious issues including State finances, contamination mitigation regularisation and proviso of liquor, appropriation accounts regarding nationalist assemblage units and a show audit connected children successful request of attraction and extortion arsenic per the media reports,” and that these reports “are of paramount value arsenic these reports woody with important aspects relating to governance successful Delhi.”

Justice Datta, during a proceeding connected January 13, had besides orally remarked that the mode the Delhi authorities has “dragged” its feet successful tabling CAG reports successful the Delhi Assembly “raises doubts astir its bonafides” and that “it is unfortunate”.

The BJP MLAs had argued that tabling the CAG reports “promptly” is simply a law and statutory obligation, citing provisions of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act and the CAG Act, and had urged the tribunal to measurement successful to workout its bonzer powers arsenic the Assembly Speaker is “flagrantly violating law duties”.

Speaker Ram Niwas Goel done his counsel had connected the different manus contended arsenic to “whether (the) tribunal tin contented absorption to talker and whether immoderate fruitful intent volition beryllium served by issuing the absorption due to the fact that the clip play of the contiguous assembly is hardly 20 days near successful which the full procedures arsenic mandated nether the Rules cannot beryllium fulfilled.”

Polling for each 70 Assembly constituencies successful Delhi volition beryllium held connected February 5 and the results counted connected February 8.