Subramanium claims LG nod for DDCA probe, wants it televised

Claiming that Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung had prima facie given his consent, former solicitor general Gopal Subramanium has started work of the Commission of Inquiry that he is heading to probe wrongdoings in the DDCA.

In a letter to CM Arvind Kejriwal, Subramanium confirmed his acceptance of the responsibility and suggested that the proceedings of the CoI be televised for transparency.

With an assurance to begin on a clean slate – without any bias against the DDCA, Subramanium wrote on Sunday: “I also learn that both the minutes of the cabinet meeting as well as the proceedings of the Legislature have been forwarded to the Lieutenant Governor in accordance with the Rules of Business who must have initiated his perusal of them.”

“This receipt of information both from the cabinet and allowing the legislature to proceed forward clearly indicates that the Lieutenant Governor, prima facie, has consented to the appointment of the Commission,” he said.

Referring to questions raised in the media that the Commission of Inquiry by the Government of NCT is not legally valid, Subramanium  said he did not wish to make any comments.

He said he had taken an opinion that the Constitution empowered an elected government to set up a CoI.

“I proceed to accept the assignment of the chairman of the Commission of Inquiry set up,” Subramanium wrote, accepting the terms of inquiry indicated by Kejriwal earlier.

The former Solicitor General, who admitted being a cricket lover himself, favoured the British or Canadian practice of televising the Inquiry said, “I would also like to make it clear that I have already promised a public inquiry. The same should be held at a suitable place. I offer it to be televised because I would like anybody in the world to watch how the Commission is proceeding to deal with this matter.”

“I have always believed that in many parts of the world where proceedings of courts have been televised particularly in Britain and also in Canada, the judiciary has only stood to gain by being utterly transparent,” the former Solicitor General said.

“I do not see why a matter which involves cricket and in particular which has long term implications must not be dealt with in the same fashion,” Subramaniumsaid.

In a recent communication to the Centre, Jung had stated that since the Commission
of Inquiry Act, 1952 empowers only the Centre and state governments to appoint a Commission of Inquiry, Delhi could do so only with the concurrence of the Centre, through the Lieutenant Governor as it was a Union Territory.

The Delhi cricket body, headed by Union Finance Minister Jaitley for around 13 years
till 2013, is facing allegations of tax evasion, account fudging and wrongdoings in team
selection.