Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | After discoms, CAG may get job of auditing telecos -Abhinav Garg

After discoms, CAG may get job of auditing telecos -Abhinav Garg

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Jan 6, 2014   modified Modified on Jan 6, 2014
-The Times of India


NEW DELHI: After getting the mandate to audit power distribution companies from Arvind Kejriwal led Delhi government, the comptroller and auditor general may well get another crucial assignment on Monday, if the Delhi high court agrees with its stand.

HC is expected to deliver a landmark verdict to decide if CAG has the jurisdiction/powers to audit accounts of private telecom companies. A division bench of Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice V K Rao reserved its order in November last year, after conducting marathon hearings on the issue where it took on record submissions of the Centre, the CAG and the petitioners - Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) and Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers (AUSPI).

In case HC rules in favor of the national auditor, significant revenues could accrue to the government.

Both the associations had approached HC after losing before TDSAT and argued in essence that CAG can't audit private companies. To achieve the purpose of audit, the operators have pointed out, they already put in place mechanism of special audit as envisaged in the license agreement between department of telecom and the companies. The firms claim they maintain accounts in line with the TRAI rules and can't be forced to furnish financials to CAG.

The CAG has vigorously staked its claim to audit the accounts and sought revenue sharing details from the telecom companies. In lengthy written submissions CAG has cited the Constitution of India and the CAG Act 1971 to contend that it is duty bound to audit accounts of the Union and those "in relation to accounts of the Union."

CAG has said it has full powers to audit accounts of the telecom firms to ensure that claims to receipts have been "pursued with due diligence by Union and no loss occurred due to fraud and efficiency and effectiveness of the transactions has been maintained."

In June 2010, in an interim order, the HC had directed private telecom operators to submit their account books to CAG national auditor so as to enable it to determine if there was any underreporting of licence fees by the companies. But HC restrained CAG from demanding any additional documents except revenue-sharing details and had further directed it to not disclose the same information to the public or to any third party.

The order was later modified by SC which directed the firms to furnish their financials to CAG, but stopped the auditor from vetting the papers till HC decides the case.


The Times of India, 6 January, 2014, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/After-discoms-CAG-may-get-job-of-auditing-telecos/articleshow/28455632.cms


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close