Dragging your feets: HC slams AAP govt over delay in CAG report

On Monday, the Delhi High Court came down heavily on the Arvind Kejriwal led Aam Aadmi Party government over its delay in handling the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report. Slamming the Delhi AAP government, the High Court stressed saying, “The way you have dragged your feet raises doubts about your bona fides.” 

In a sharp critique of the Delhi government, a single-judge bench of Justice Sachin Datta noted that the government “dragged its feet” to prevent the Assembly session from taking place. 

Justice Datta added, “The way you have dragged your feet raises doubts about your bona fides. You should have promptly forwarded the reports to the Speaker and initiated a discussion in the House.” 

Also Read: CAG flags 342% budget surge in Arvind Kejriwal’s Sheeshmahal Renovation

Despite Justice Datta’s scathing remarks, the AAP government defended itself arguing how an Assembly session could be convened with elections approaching so closely. 

Justice Datta will hear the matter in detail at 2.30 pm today. 

During the last court proceedings, the Delhi Assembly Secretariat had argued before the Court that placing the CAG reports in the Assembly would have served no purpose, as its tenure was about to end in February. The submission came in response to a plea filed by seven BJP MLAs and in which they sought court’s direction asking that the CAG reports be tabled in the Delhi Assembly.

The riveting details in a leaked CAG report flagging multiple irregularities in the planning, tendering, and execution of renovation works at the Delhi Chief Minister’s residence put the AAP in the dock over the issue of corruption when the Assembly election campaigning is in full swing. 

Recently, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report had flagged a drastic surge of 342% in the spending for renovation work at Arvind Kejriwal’s Sheeshmahal. The estimated cost of the project was initially Rs 7.61 crore, but the final cost had risen to Rs 33.66 crore, raising questions about the transparency and accountability of the project, which was completed in April 2022.