Delhi High Court Pulls Up AAP Govt Over Delayed CAG Report On Liquor Scam

Delhi High Court criticized AAP for delaying submission of a CAG report on the liquor scam to the Assembly Speaker. The court also questioned the government's motives for the delay.

The Delhi High Court has criticized the AAP for delaying submission of a CAG report on the liquor scam to the Assembly Speaker (File photo of Arvind Kejriwal)

Source : Arvind Kejriwal

In a major embarrassment for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi, the Delhi High court has slammed the AAP over the delay in placing before the Assembly Speaker a report by the Comptroller Auditor General (CAG) on the ongoing liquor scam, as reported by NDTV.

A single-judge bench of Justice Sachin Datta, while hearing the matter, said, "The way you have been dragging your feet is something unfortunate and it raises doubts about your bona fides."

"The delay in sending the reports to the Lieutenant Governor and your handling of the matter raises doubts about your bona fides", Justice Sachin Datta said.

The court added that the government should have been prompt in sending the CAG reports to the Speaker and having a discussion at the floor of the assembly. The court remarked that the government dragged its feet in order to prevent the Assembly session from taking place.

While posting a plea by BJP MLAs, including Vijender Gupta, seeking a special session of the Delhi Assembly for later today, bench added, "We are at a stage that the elections are around the corner. How can there be a special session now?"

While responding to the court, the AAP government said how an Assembly session could be called when the elections approaching so near, as reported by India Today TV.

Earlier, in a statement to a petition by seven BJP MLAs regarding the issue of tabling the CAG reports in the Assembly, the Delhi Assembly Secretariat had informed the court that tabling the CAG reports in the Assembly would serve no purpose, given that its tenure ends in February.

The CAG report on the Delhi government's excise policy pointed out a revenue loss of Rs 2,026 crore to the state exchequer due to alleged irregularities in the implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy of Delhi.

“The working of the excise department raises several questions about how it performs its duties. The total financial impact of the audit findings is about Rs 2,026 crore,” the CAG report stated.