Delhi discoms move larger HC bench against CAG audit
Delhi discoms has moved the larger bench saying CAG is not empowered to scrutinise accounts of private firms
New Delhi: Three private discoms on Friday moved the Delhi high court against a single judge bench order refusing to stay the city government’s decision asking the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to audit their accounts.
A bench of chief justice N.V. Ramana and R.S. Endlaw, fixed the intra-court appeal of Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd (TPDDL) and Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group firms, BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd and BSES Yamuna Power Ltd, on 14 February.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, who earlier represented Delhi government in the case, said these three petitions be also transferred to another bench which is going to hear a PIL on a similar issue and which had also decided the matter pertaining to CAG audit of telecom firms.
“We will see this on the next date only," the bench said. The single judge bench, on 24 January had not only refused to stall the CAG audit of the discoms but also asked them to co-operate with the top auditor by furnishing the details sought.
The discoms had moved the court against 7 January decision of the Aam Aadmi Party-led government ordering CAG audit, saying the top auditor is not empowered to scrutinise accounts of private companies.
The three private firms had come into being in 2002 when the then Delhi government decided to privatise power distribution. Delhi discoms are a 51:49% joint venture between private companies and Delhi government.
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