W.P. (C) 48416/2015
PIL in Allahabad High Court on extension of audit jurisdiction of the C & AG of India to NOIDA, G. Noida Authority and Yamuna Expressway Authority

A writ petition has been filed in the Allahabad High Court on September 1, 2015 for getting NOIDA, Greater Noida Authority and Yamuna Expressway Authority audited by the Comptroller & Auditor General of India.These entities have been established by the State of Uttar Pradesh under the provisions of the U. P. Industrial Area Development Act, 1976. The proposal is actuated by the imperative of improving the standards of financial accountability and probity in these bodies and securing the right to good governance, which forms part of the right to equality and the right to life.

Notice has been issued in the petition and counters have been filed on behalf of all the respondents. The CAG had filed a counter that substantially reflected the contentions raised by the Petitioner. The other respondents have filed supplementary counter affidavits to CAG’s counter. 

Subsequent to the detailed additional rejoinder filed by CC, on December 4, 2015 the Court directed that the matter be put up as fresh on 11 December 2015. During the course of the hearing on December 11, 2015, certain factual aspects emerged before the Court, which had not been made in the existing affidavits filed earlier by the respondents. The Court was assured by the AG that a comprehensive affidavit of disclosure would be filed indicating the nature of the financial relationship between the State Government on one hand and Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway Authorities respectively. On the request of the AG for time in order to enable him to make a full and candid disclosure, the Court allowed the matter to stand over to January 27, 2016 under the same caption.
In the hearing of January 27, 2016, the Advocate General sought an extension of time to file the counter affidavit as directed in the previous order. The Court, noting that sufficient time was granted in the previous order, granted the last and final opportunity to the Respondents to file the counter by February 11, 2016.

According to media reports, the UP Government has written to the Accountant General to start conducting such an audit immediately. Earlier, the newly elected Yogi Government had approved the CAG audit of Ghaziabad Dev Authority and 29 other authorities set up under the UP Urban Planning and Development Act leaving out the three above-mentioned authorities.


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WP 48416 of 2015