As many as 60 retired bureaucrats and diplomats have questioned the “unconscionable and unwarranted delay” on the part of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in bringing out the audit reports on demonetisation and Rafale deal.

Expressing concern, the former bureaucrats said the audit reports on demonetisation and Rafale deal were being “deliberately” delayed to not “embarrass” the NDA Government till next year’s general elections. There was no immediate reaction from the CAG. In an open letter, which was also sent to President Ram Nath Kovind, former civil servants pointed out that the CAG’s audit reports on the 2G scam, coal scam, Adarsh scam and Commonwealth Games, which influenced public perception of the then Government’s action, had invited appreciation from various quarters.

In the letter, they said there was concern over the “unconscionable” and “unwarranted delay” in bringing out the audit reports on demonetisation and the Rafale fighter jet deal, and the reports should be tabled before Parliament in the Winter Session. The CAG’s failure to present the audit reports on note ban and the Rafale deal in time “may be seen as a partisan action” and could create a “crisis of credibility” for the institution, the letter said.

The bureaucrats claimed that the CAG had been accused of “nit-picking and focusing on trivial issues on the one hand, and for audit over-reach on the other”, but never for having the need to be reminded of its constitutional duties, or of working under any pressure from the Government of the day.

The signatories of the letter included former IPS officer and former Ambassador to Romania Julio F Riberio, former IAS officer turned social activist Aruna Roy, former Pune Police commissioner Meeran Borwankar, former CEO of Prasar Bharti Jawahar Sircar, former envoy to Italy KP Fabian and officers from Central and all India services.

Quoting from media reports on demonetisation, the former bureaucrats said the then CAG Shashi Kant Sharma had pointed out that the audit would cover the expenditure on printing of notes, the RBI’s dividend to the Consolidated Fund of India and the huge amount of data generated by banks.

They also said it was also stated that the effectiveness of the follow-up action taken by the Income Tax Department in identifying potential tax evaders and pursuing action against them, among others, would also be covered.

“It is more than 20 months since the previous CAG made the above statement but there is no sight of the promised audit report on demonetisation,” the letter said.

The letter claimed that there were reports that the audit of the Rafale deal would be done as late as September 2018, but the related files were yet to be scrutinised by the CAG.  The precise stage of the audit is therefore “unclear”, it said.

The ex-bureaucrats said the CAG’s audit reports on the 2G, Coal, Adarsh, Commonwealth Games scams had influenced public perception of the then UPA Government’s actions and had invited appreciation from various quarters.

Due to the cacophony of claims and counterclaims, accusations and mudslinging in the media and elsewhere, citizens do not know what the reality is, the former bureaucrats said, insisting that the CAG make timely submission of the audit reports so that people can make an informed choice while voting.

The CAG functions as a watchdog and it is its duty to ensure that every financial transaction is as per rule, sanction, provision and propriety, and guided by the principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness.

In the past, the former bureaucrats had attacked the Government over rising intolerance in the country and the Kathua gang rape case.