LG's office alleges that Delhi government misled court

Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena has said that the Delhi government’s counsel misled the Delhi High Court by delaying the submission of a list of conforming and non-conforming wards in the city prepared in 2022, ahead of the implementation of the now-scrapped excise policy of 2021-22.

In a communication to Delhi's Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi's LG said that the Committee submitted its report on18th August 2022. However, according to LG's office, the file to this effect was received to LG's secretariat for the first time only on 16th January 2024, after a lapse of almost one year and 05 months. LG's office added that the Delhi government's counsel kept misleading the High Court on hearings that the file was pending approval of the LG.

As per the report, the list was required to be submitted to the High Court after the 29th March 2022 order of the court on a series of pleas filed by successful bidders of the excise policy challenging the validity of a circular issued by the Delhi Government dated 17th November 2021 regarding the implementation of the policy.