New Delhi:

Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has written to Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, asking that a special sitting of Delhi Assembly be convened for immediately laying the pending 14 reports of the country’s top auditor Comptroller and Auditor General on the Table of the House. The Delhi government, which submitted some of the CAG reports ahead of a court hearing on the matter, is yet to declare any dates for the assembly session when the reports can be tabled. 

Eleven of the 14 reports pertain to the period when Arvind Kejriwal was the Chief Minister of Delhi and are about Delhi Transport Corporation, public health and mohalla clinics, liquor duty, pollution, finance and various state undertakings. The LG’s directions are in line with the Section 48 of GNCTD Act, 1991. 

The CAG Reports are touchstone of transparency in governance. Placing them before the Legislature expeditiously is a constitutional mandate for the Government, the LG wrote to the Chief Minister.  

By not laying the CAG Reports promptly before the Legislative Assembly, the Government has failed to discharge its constitutional obligation, he added.

The Delhi government had sent the reports to the Raj Bhavan last week. Reports, quoting un-named officials, said one of the CAG reports was pending for 497 days. 

The BJP, which had filed a case in the High Court, had claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party government had sent the reports ahead of a hearing to forestall action from the court. 

“It took the fear of an adverse order by the Delhi High Court for the AAP government to hurriedly submit the long-pending CAG Reports to the LG to seek his permission, for making it possible for the reports to be made public, by placing them in the Assembly,” the office of the Lieutenant Governor said in a note.

“The government in a move to save face hurriedly sent 12 reports on December 11 at 3:30 PM just a day before the hearing and later two remaining reports on at 7.50 PM on December 12 to the LG Secretariat, after the hearing had concluded,” the note read.

New Delhi:

The Centre has given absolute powers to the Delhi lieutenant governor to constitute any authority, board and commission such as the Delhi Commission for Women and the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission.

In a notification, the Union Home Ministry said the Delhi LG can also appoint members to such authority, board, commission or statutory bodies.

The notification has been issued in pursuance of clause (1) of article 239 of the Constitution read with section 45D of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991 (1 of 1992).

“The President hereby directs that the Lieutenant Governor of the National Capital Territory of Delhi shall, subject to the control of the President and until further orders, exercise the powers of the President under clause (a) of section 45D of the said Act for constitution of any authority, board, commission or any statutory body by whatever name it may be called, or for appointment of any Government officer or ex officio member to such authority, board, commission or any statutory body,” the notification said.

Article 239 of the Constitution relates to the administration of the Union territories.

It says, “Save as otherwise provided by Parliament by law, every Union territory shall be administered by the President acting, to such extent as he thinks fit, through an administrator to be appointed by him with such designation as he may specify.” “Notwithstanding anything contained in Part VI, the President may appoint the Governor of a State as the administrator of an adjoining Union territory, and where a Governor is so appointed, he shall exercise his functions as such administrator independently of his Council of Ministers,” the Article 239 says.

Section 45D of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2023 relates to power to appoint authorities, boards, commissions or statutory bodies.

“Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, any authority, board, commission or any statutory body, by whatever name it may be called, or any office bearer or member thereof, constituted or appointed by or under any law made by the Parliament for the time being in force, applicable to the National Capital Territory of Delhi, shall be constituted or appointed or nominated by the President; and any law made by the Legislative Assembly of National Capital Territory of Delhi for the time being in force, the Authority shall recommend a panel of suitable persons for constitution or appointment or nomination by the Lieutenant Governor, in accordance with the provisions of section 45H,” it says.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)