Delhi govt opposes BJP plea in HC to table CAG reports in assembly
It argued that the procedures required to table the reports could not be completed in the time available and convening a special session would be futile
The Delhi government and assembly speaker on Thursday opposed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) plea in the high court seeking the urgent tabling of 14 Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports, arguing there was “no urgency” to make the reports public before the end of the assembly tenure.

Senior advocate Rahul Mehra, representing the Delhi government, argued that the procedures required to table the reports could not be completed in the limited time available. Assembly speaker Ram Niwas Goel’s counsel, senior advocate Sudhir Nandrajog, submitted that convening a special session would be “futile” as the assembly’s term ends in 20 days.
Assembly polls will be held in Delhi on February 5 and the results will be declared three days later. The tabling of the reports – which cover key issues such as Delhi’s liquor policy, vehicular pollution, public health, among others – has become a flashpoint with the BJP looking to corner the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over the absence of reports in the run-up to the elections.
Justice Sachin Datta, hearing the matter, reserved his judgment on the petition filed by seven BJP MLAs, including leader of opposition Vijender Gupta, which sought directions for a special session of the assembly to table the reports.
During the hearing on Thursday, the Delhi government argued that tabling the reports within the limited time remaining in the assembly’s tenure was impractical.
“Nothing major is going to happen if reports are not placed within 10-15 days. The urgency is driven by a political hurry, not necessity,” Mehra said. He said that the required scrutiny by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), consultations with departments, and summoning of officers could not be completed in the short duration.
The speaker’s counsel, Nandrajog, contended that the reports could be tabled after the formation of the new government as they do not lapse, unlike bills. “The urgency is only guided by the elections. The reports can be laid before the legislature by the new government. Convening a session now would waste valuable resources without achieving any logical conclusion,” he submitted.
Senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for the BJP, accused the Delhi government of delaying the process to avoid scrutiny ahead of the polls. He contended that the reports should be made public to allow voters to make informed decisions. The BJP MLAs also argued that the government had failed to fulfil its assurance to forward the reports promptly, delaying the process until December 24 last year.
On Monday, the high court had criticised the Delhi government for its delay, terming it “unfortunate” and raising doubts about the government’s intentions.
Justice Datta observed, “You should have promptly forwarded the reports to the speaker and had a discussion in the House. The way you dragged your feet raises doubts about your bona fides.”
In their petition, the BJP legislators pressed that a special session could be called regardless of the announcement of polls since the assembly was still in session.
On December 24, the Delhi government informed the court that the reports had been sent to the assembly secretary. On December 16, the government had assured the court that it would forward the reports “within two to three days,” but the process was delayed.
The audit reports in question which cover several key issues — Delhi’s liquor policy, vehicular pollution, public health and the performance of government departments from 2017-18 to 2021-22 — have been a recurrent flashpoint between the ruling AAP and the opposition BJP ahead of the state elections.
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