'Way you dragged your feet raises doubts': Delhi HC slams AAP for delaying assembly discussion on CAG report

The Delhi High Court on Monday questioned the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) after the Comptroller and Auditor General's report revealed irregularities in the Delhi excise policy. According to the CAG report, the AAP government's policy was marred by irregularities and caused a loss of Rs 2,027 crore to the exchequer. The High Court heard a petition filed by the BJP in connection to the case and asked the current Delhi government why there was a delay in presenting the CAG report in the Delhi Assembly.

"The way you have dragged your feet raises doubts about your bona fides,” said a single-judge bench of Justice Sachin Datta. 

"You should have promptly forwarded the reports to the Speaker and initiated a discussion in the House," it added.

"The timeline is clear; you've dragged your feet to prevent the session from happening," the court further remarked.

The court has fixed a hearing on the matter at 2:30 pm today.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court sought responses from the Delhi Government, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, and other respondents regarding a petition filed by BJP MLAs. The petition called for the convening of a special session of the Assembly to present 14 CAG reports.

The Delhi Government informed the court that all 14 reports had been sent to the Speaker. Vijender Gupta, the counsel for the BJP MLAs, argued that as a member of the House, it was his right to receive and debate the reports. He urged the Court to direct the Speaker to convene a special session.

However, the Court observed that it could not issue an immediate order to the Speaker and stated that both parties would need to be heard before a decision could be made.

The Delhi Government opposed the petition, labelling it politically motivated and indicated its intention to file a counter-affidavit. Gupta's counsel countered that the issue was not political but rather about ensuring government accountability, stressing that the matter should be resolved before the election announcements.