The Delhi High Court rebuked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led government for delaying the submission of a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on the ongoing liquor policy scam to the Assembly Speaker.
The alleged irregularities in the excise policy have already led to the arrests of former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and senior leader Manish Sisodia.
Expressing its displeasure, the court remarked, “The way you’ve been dragging your feet is unfortunate. You should’ve promptly sent the report to the Speaker for discussion on the Assembly floor.”
Justice Sachin Datta further criticized the delay in forwarding the report to the Lieutenant Governor, raising questions about the government’s intent.
The BJP MLAs, including Vijender Gupta, had filed a plea seeking a special session of the Assembly to discuss the CAG report. However, the court noted that with elections approaching, calling a special session at this stage was impractical.
The CAG report revealed a massive revenue loss of ₹2,026 crore due to irregularities in the excise policy. Key findings include deviations from the policy’s objectives, lack of transparency in pricing, and violations in issuing licenses without imposing penalties.
Specifically, ₹890 crore was lost due to the government’s failure to re-tender surrendered licenses before the policy’s conclusion, while ₹941 crore was lost due to exemptions granted to zonal licenses.
The report also highlighted administrative lapses, such as issuing licenses without verifying excise rules compliance, solvency, audited financial statements, sales data, wholesale pricing across states, or criminal antecedents.
Meanwhile, AAP MP Sanjay Singh questioned the authenticity of the CAG report, accusing the BJP of spreading misinformation during the Model Code of Conduct. Singh claimed the BJP was attempting to undermine AAP through fabricated allegations.
The Delhi Assembly Secretariat informed the court that tabling the CAG reports would be futile, as the Assembly’s tenure ends in February. However, all 14 CAG reports have been sent to the Speaker.
With Assembly elections scheduled for February 5, political tensions have intensified. The BJP has criticized AAP over Kejriwal’s alleged ₹32 crore “Sheesh Mahal” residence renovation, citing corruption.
Additionally, last year, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva suffered a skin allergy after his protest dip in the Yamuna to highlight an alleged ₹8,500 crore scam in the river cleaning project.
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