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Microlesson · 5-min read

Reporting Procedures of C&AG — Article 151 of the Constitution

# Reporting Procedures of C&AG

## Constitutional Mandate — Article 151

Article 151 of the Constitution of India mandates the following reporting structure:

AccountsSubmitted toLaid before
Union accountsPresident of IndiaEach House of Parliament
State accountsGovernor of the concerned StateLegislature of that State

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## Key Principles of Reporting

### 1. Constitutional Mandate

Reports must be presented to the respective legislatures via the President/Governor — this is a constitutional requirement, not a statutory one.

### 2. Adequate Publicity

Reports should not only be presented to the legislature but also publicised adequately to create proper public opinion for taking remedial action where necessary on the findings.

### 3. Future Safeguard

Adequate publicity of audit findings constitutes a more effective safeguard in the future — deterring financial irregularities through public scrutiny.

### 4. Factual Reporting — Total Objectivity

Reporting is factual; conclusions are deliberately left to be drawn by the reader. This is to ensure total objectivity of the audit report.

### 5. Recommendations — Traditional Role of PAC

Nothing legally debars C&AG from making recommendations, but traditionally this has been left to be done by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

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## Flow of Audit Report

```

C&AG prepares audit report

Submitted to President (Union) / Governor (State)

Laid before Parliament / State Legislature

Publicised adequately for public opinion

Public Accounts Committee (PAC) makes recommendations

```

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## Key Institutions in the Reporting Chain

InstitutionRole
C&AGPrepares and submits factual audit report
President / GovernorReceives report and causes it to be laid before the legislature
LegislatureConsiders audit findings
Public Accounts Committee (PAC)Traditionally makes recommendations based on audit findings

Worked example

### Example 1

Question: C&AG completes the audit of accounts of the State of Maharashtra. Describe the complete procedure for submission and presentation of the audit report.

Answer:

1. C&AG submits the audit report on Maharashtra's accounts to the Governor of Maharashtra (Article 151 of the Constitution)

2. The Governor shall cause the report to be laid before the Maharashtra State Legislature

3. The report is factual — conclusions are left to the reader to ensure total objectivity

4. The report should be adequately publicised to create public opinion for taking remedial action

5. Traditionally, recommendations based on the report are made by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), not by C&AG himself (though C&AG is not legally barred from making them)

Note: For Union accounts, the report would be submitted to the President and laid before each House of Parliament.

### Example 2

MCQ-type Question: Audit reports of C&AG relating to the accounts of a State are submitted to:

(a) The Chief Minister (b) The Governor (c) The President of India (d) The State Legislature directly

Answer: (b) The Governor

Under Article 151, the report is submitted to the Governor, who then causes it to be laid before the State Legislature. C&AG does not submit directly to the legislature.

⚠️ Common exam mistakes

  • Stating C&AG submits reports directly to the legislature — C&AG submits to the President (Union) or Governor (States), who then lay the report before the respective legislature.
  • Saying C&AG cannot make recommendations — there is no legal bar; by tradition only, recommendations are left to the Public Accounts Committee.
  • Assuming the audit report draws conclusions — C&AG's reporting is factual and deliberately leaves conclusions to be drawn by the reader, to ensure total objectivity.
  • Confusing Union and State report recipients — Union accounts → President → Parliament; State accounts → Governor → State Legislature.
Bare-Act text Article 151 · Constitution of India · click to expand
The reports of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India relating to the accounts of the Union shall be submitted to the President, who shall cause them to be laid before each House of Parliament. The reports of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India relating to the accounts of a State shall be submitted to the Governor of the State, who shall cause them to be laid before the Legislature of the State.
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