Delhi L-G clears Lokayukta reports, flags ‘three-year delay’ in letter to CM

Stop behaving like school headmaster, Delhi govt. replies

Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Friday approved the Statutory Annual Reports of the Lokayukta for the years 2017-18 and 2018-19, for placing in the Legislative Assembly. The L-G also hit out at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for “delaying them for three years”.

Officials at Raj Bhawan said Mr. Saxena raised his concerns about some of the highlighted issues in the report, including the Lokayukta facing “constraints” with its “independence, lack of powers, compromised financial autonomy, non-availability of machinery for conducting investigations, and limited jurisdiction”.

The Delhi government, in its response, said the L-G should “stop behaving like a school headmaster”.

In a letter written to the Chief Minister, Mr. Saxena also “advised” Mr. Kejriwal to “ensure” that such reports are timely tabled in the Assembly. “I would like to advise that the concerned Minister may please be guided appropriately to dispose of such important matters of the public interest within a reasonable period so that the statutory purpose of laying it before the Legislative Assembly is not defeated and Delhi is not deprived of its wisdom,” he wrote.

According to officials, the two reports were first submitted on October 1, 2019, to the then L-G by the Lokayukta and sent to the Delhi Chief Secretary on October 23 the same year, seeking “explanations” on the points highlighted in the report.