New Delhi (India), January 24: The Delhi High Court has denied a request to convene a special session of the Delhi Legislative Assembly to discuss the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. The court, however, criticized the Delhi government’s delay in tabling the reports, noting that it is a constitutional obligation to present them in the Assembly.
The plea was filed by BJP MLA Vijender Gupta and other BJP lawmakers, seeking the tabling of 14 CAG reports related to key Delhi government policy initiatives. The BJP argued that the reports should be discussed in the Assembly to ensure government accountability.
A bench of Justice Sachin Datta remarked that the Delhi government had unduly delayed the process, which raised questions about its intentions. “The way you have dragged your feet raises doubts about your bona fides,” the court said, emphasizing that the reports should have been promptly forwarded to the Speaker for discussion.
Senior Advocate Sudhir Nandrajog, representing the Assembly Speaker, argued that calling a special session would be futile given that only 20 days remained in the current Assembly’s term. He also contended that the court should not intervene in the matter, as it was not a fundamental rights violation. Courts generally intervene only in exceptional cases, he argued.
The Delhi Assembly Secretariat had earlier informed the court that tabling the reports would serve no purpose due to the approaching end of the Assembly’s tenure in February. In response, Gupta’s counsel stressed that as a member of the House, it was his right to have the reports debated and discussed before the elections.
While the court acknowledged the government’s submission that the reports had been sent to the Speaker, it observed that the delay in the process had prevented the timely discussion of important issues. The court declined to issue an immediate directive to the Speaker, stating that further hearings would be required before a final decision.
In the ongoing case, the Delhi government opposed the BJP MLAs’ petition, claiming the issue was politically motivated. Gupta countered, stressing that the matter was about ensuring accountability and transparency, rather than politics, and should be addressed before election announcements.