SC snubs govt, says CAG is not ‘munimji’

The Supreme Court on Monday backed the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG’s) authority in the context of the latter’s recent reports on scams, and said the constitutional body wasn’t a corporation “munimji” (accountant) but the nation’s principal auditor.

The Supreme Court on Monday backed the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG’s) authority in the context of the latter’s recent reports on scams, and said the constitutional body wasn’t a corporation “munimji” (accountant) but the nation’s principal auditor.

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A bench of justice RM Lodha and justice AR Dave said the CAG acted within its powers when it wrote the report on the coal block scam, suggesting a presumptive loss of R1.86 lakh crore to the Centre because of not auctioning the blocks.

Dismissing a petition challenging the CAG’s reports on 2G spectrum allocation, coal block allotment, power and aviation on the grounds that the body had supposedly exceeded its jurisdiction, the bench said: “Don’t undermine the constitutional authority of the CAG. If not the CAG, who would do it?”

When the petitioner’s counsel cited the coal allocation report, the bench said: “This is within its (CAG’s) powers.”