While refusing to stay an ‘exit conference’ of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) with Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) on its draft audit report, the Delhi High Court on Monday said any steps taken on the report would be subject to its further orders.
The CAG holds exit conference with the parties concerned to discuss the issues with them before finalising its draft report. A Division Bench was hearing an application moved by TPDDL in the main writ petition challenging the Delhi government’s decision to get the accounts of power distribution companies audited.
The exit conference was to be held on Monday. Seeking a stay on its holding, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for TPDDL, said the discom was not given an opportunity to controvert or verify the data sought to be analysed by the CAG and respond to the latter’s reasoning.
The Bench, comprising Justice G. Rohini and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw, made it clear that any steps taken against the applicant would be subject to the court’s further orders. The matter was posted for hearing on October 30.
The court said it had already directed two other discoms, BSES Yamuna and BSES Rajdhani, to take part in the exit conferences for them, to be held from October 12 to 14, with whatever information available with them. The CAG has computed an alleged loss of Rs. 2,200 crore against the discoms.
The CAG had reportedly stated in its audit report that BSES Yamuna, BSES Rajdhani, and TPDDL had inflated their previously-incurred losses by manipulating consumer figures and inflating costs. Discoms, on the other hand, said they should be provided with the detailed break-up of the alleged losses along with the methodology of computation.
According to the application of BSES Yamuna and BSES Rajdhani, if the discoms were not given a reasonable time to respond, the entire exercise would be rendered fruitless and severely impair the findings arrived at in the final report. The High Court had reserved its judgment on the main writ petition on March 4.
