HC refuses to interfere in proposed CAG audit of BSES discoms
The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to interfere with the Delhi government’s proposal to entrust the audit of BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd and BSES Yamuna Power Ltd to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).
A vacation bench of Justice Tejas Karia dismissed a petition by the power distribution companies, stating that their challenge was premature at this stage. Welcoming the Delhi High Court’s order, Power Minister Ashish Sood stated that the judgment has completely unmasked the failures and hidden motives of Arvind Kejriwal and his administration.
“The judgement has exposed the deep rooted “nexus” of the previous AAP regime with the private electricity distribution companies (discoms) to deliberately evade financial accountability and fleece the residents,” he said.
“Our government has always maintained that there was collusion—a nexus—between the electricity companies, the Aam Aadmi Party, and Arvind Kejriwal,” Minister Sood said. “In 2015, using a particular judgment as an excuse, it was falsely claimed that conducting a CAG audit of the discoms was not allowed. Arvind Kejriwal and his government simply sat back and did nothing.”
The Minister highlighted that the stiff resistance from the power companies against the audit was proof enough of an underlying conspiracy.
Sood criticised the previous regime for leaving behind a massive financial strain on the public without any justification. “No deficit is visible anywhere, nor is there any apparent lack of funds with the companies, yet Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party government walked away after placing a burden of Rs 38,000 crores on the people of Delhi,” he noted.
Pointing to the High Court’s observations, the Power Minister added that the legal clarity has exposed the previous government’s deception. “The High Court stating that the 2015 judgment contained no restrictions whatsoever against conducting a CAG audit shows in itself that Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP government were absolute failures.”