On Friday, the Delhi High Court declined to direct the convening of a special state assembly session to table 14 Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports, while criticizing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for its “inordinate delay” in presenting the documents.

The plea for a special session was filed by seven Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs, who sought directions for Speaker Ram Niwas Goel to table the reports before the upcoming Delhi assembly elections.

Justice Sachin Datta emphasized that tabling CAG reports is a mandatory constitutional obligation and noted the significant delay by the Delhi government in forwarding the reports to the Speaker.

“The court is not inclined to accept the petition for summoning a special session for laying the reports,” Justice Datta observed.

The CAG reports, covering critical issues such as Delhi’s liquor policy, vehicular pollution, and public health, have become a contentious issue between the BJP and AAP. With assembly elections scheduled for February 5 and results to be declared on February 8, the BJP is using the absence of these reports to criticize the AAP government.

The BJP has accused the Delhi government of “intentional lapses” in its excise policy and claimed that promotional expenses for government schemes were disproportionately higher than the actual funds allocated for implementation. In response, the AAP has dismissed these allegations as “fabricated” and called the BJP's high court plea “politically motivated.”

The Delhi government argued that tabling the reports during the short time left in the assembly’s tenure was impractical. “Nothing major is going to happen if the reports are not placed within 10-15 days. The urgency is driven by a political hurry, not necessity,” Senior Advocate Rahul Mehra, representing the AAP government, argued during the hearing.

In contrast, Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for the BJP, accused the Delhi government of delaying the process to avoid scrutiny ahead of the elections. He contended that making the reports public was crucial for voters to make informed decisions.

The BJP MLAs further pointed out that despite the government’s prior assurances, the reports were delayed until December 24 last year, raising concerns over transparency and accountability.