Delhi HC rejects plea by 7 BJP MLAs to convene assembly session to table CAG reports
A separate petition seeking immediate publication of the CAG reports before Delhi votes on February 5 is still pending before a two-judge bench
NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Friday dismissed a petition by seven Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs plea seeking directions to assembly speaker Ram Niwas Goel to convene a special session to table the 14 CAG reports, but criticised the Delhi government’s delay in forwarding the reports to the speaker.

“Laying of reports of the CAG is a mandatory constitutional imperative. There has been an inordinate delay on the part of the government to forward the reports. This court is, however, not inclined to accept the petition for summoning a special session for laying the reports,” justice Sachin Datta said, pronouncing the verdict.
To be sure, a separate petition seeking publication of the CAG reports before the Delhi elections is pending before a bench of chief justice DK Upadhyay and justice Tushar Rao Gedela.
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 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the opposition BJP ahead of the state elections.
The BJP has sought to corner AAP over the absence of reports in the run-up to the elections, accusing the state’s ruling party of withholding information for fear it could dent its performance in the polls. Defending itself, AAP had labelled the claims as “fabricated.”
In their petition, the legislators including leader of opposition in the assembly Vijender Gupta argued that a special session could be called regardless of the announcement of polls, since the assembly was still in session.
The Delhi government and Goel opposed the petition arguing there was no pressing need to make the reports public before the assembly’s tenure ends.
While 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 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 further submitted 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.
On January 13, the high court criticised the Delhi government for its delay, terming it “unfortunate” and raising doubts about the government’s intentions. “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,” Justice Datta had said.
