The Delhi High Court Wednesday reserved its order on a plea which claimed that a Lokayukta report that suggested "cautioning" Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was "diluted".
The Lokayukta report recommended to the president of India to issue "caution" to Dikshit for allegedly misrepresenting facts about the completion of 60,000 low-cost flats ahead of the 2008 assembly polls.
A division bench of Justice B.D. Ahmed and Justice Vibhu Bakhru reserved the verdict on the plea filed by advocate Sunita Bhardwaj, who contended that the Lokayukta report, suggesting that the authorities caution Dikshit, was diluted.
Delhi government counsel Zubeda Begam informed the court that a special report based on the Lokayukta recommendation was placed before the legislative assembly of Delhi.
The court asked the Delhi government to file its reply on whether the Lokayukta's report was tabled in assembly in accordance with law.
Additional Solicitor General Rajeev Mehra said the home minister had issued the order to caution officials after the president, in an order, said "no malafides are attributable to the statement of Chief Minister."
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Mehra said that the order of the president cannot be challenged in a court of law.
According to the petition, the competent authority (union home ministry) instead of "cautioning" Dikshit, "diluted" the report of the Lokayukta and asked the city government officials to be more careful in future.
Bhardwaj sought the setting aside of an order of the competent authority that did not caution Dikshit and only asked the city government officials to be more careful.
The Delhi Lokayukta July 18, 2011, sent a report to the lieutenant governor, who sent it to the president, recommending the issuance of caution against Dikshit and advising her to be more careful while issuing statements for publication.
Despite knowing that the 60,000 flats were incomplete, Dikshit allegedly made the announcement that they were ready, the petition said.