NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Principal Secretary (Finance) of the Delhi government to release funds to the Delhi Jal Board, while also making the agency a party to a plea filed by the AAP government alleging non-release of allocated funds.
A bench comprising CJI DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra took note of the submissions by advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for Principal Secretary (Finance), that the Delhi government, which has filed the plea against its own official, has not made the DJB a party. “They have not made the DJB a party. This is the authority which is making requisitions for the funds,” he said.
Issuing a notice to the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), the bench asked the agency to file a detailed reply, by April 10, on the pending funds. “We will implead DJB (as a party) to find out from them (about the dues)... In the meantime, please release funds which are liable to be paid,” the bench said, directing the finance secretary of the Delhi government to release the amounts due.
Advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing the city government, said the minister concerned has written six times to the finance secretary and yet the entirity of the fund has not been released.
Observing that it wanted to know about the outstanding funds from the water utility itself, the bench said these issues needed to be sorted out. The court has fixed the Delhi government’s petition for further hearing on April 10.
On March 20, the Delhi government had approached the Supreme Court seeking a direction for the release of DJB funds worth Rs 3000 crore, in the latest run-in involving the bureaucracy and the AAP dispensation in Delhi.
Delhi government counsel Singhvi alleged that the Centre has not released the funds despite the passage of the budget in the Delhi Assembly. He further stated that there was a serious urgency regarding the release of funds intended for the DJB.
The CJI had assured the AAP government that it can always order the release of funds meant for the DJB even after they lapse on March 31.
The Delhi government had said a total of Rs 4,578.15 crore has been received by the DJB for financial year 2023-24, inclusive of Rs 760 crore received on March 31 and Rs 1,927 crore was still outstanding.
‘My civil servants don’t listen to me’
Alleging non-cooperation of the bureaucracy, the city government had told the Supreme Court that funds worth Rs 1,927 crore was yet to be released to the DJB. Advocate Abhishek Singhvi, on behald of the government, told the top court that officials refused to heed the directions issued by the minister concerned.