The Delhi authorities’s vigilance division has requested the Public Works Division (PWD) to submit a report on the allegations of irregularities within the procurement of “lavish items” and fixtures, and violation of protocol within the renovation of 6, Flag Employees Highway bungalow — the previous official residence of then chief minister Arvind Kejriwal — officers conscious of the event stated on Thursday.
The home at 6, Flag Employees Highway in Civil Strains, the previous official residence of then chief minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal. (Vipin Kumar/HT Picture)
PWD has been requested to submit inside 5 days the report on these allegations, stated chief of the Opposition within the Delhi Meeting Vijender Gupta. The motion got here following orders from lieutenant governor VK Saxena after the BJP chief on November 20 had sought a high-level inquiry into the matter.
The AAP maintained that the allegations have been false.
In a December 19 letter to principal secretary, PWD, the directorate of vigilance sought particulars about “the identity of the individuals or organisation that provided the lavish items to the chief minister’s bungalow”, “whether any financial transactions or benefits were made in exchange for these items”; “the possible impact on public funds and whether there was any violation of government protocols in the process” and “other relevant information that could help clarify the circumstances surrounding these items.”
The LG on December 6 had written to the vigilance division for the examination of those allegations intimately and taking acceptable motion, it stated within the letter. HT has seen copy of the letter.
PWD didn’t reply to HT’s queries for a touch upon the standing of the report.
Kejriwal’s former Flag Employees Highway bungalow, which he vacated this October after stepping down because the CM, has been on the centre of controversy since 2023 when allegations over bills incurred on its renovation within the earlier years surfaced. The problem has come to the fore once more forward of the essential meeting elections due early subsequent yr, the place the previous CM is eyeing a return whilst a piece of allegations associated to monetary irregularities encompass him and different AAP leaders.
Extra hassle for Arvind Kejriwal?
In accordance with the BJP, the Arvind Kejriwal authorities had spent ₹45 crore in renovating the home.
It has alleged that “extravagant items”, “luxurious fixtures” like “gold plated toilets”, “carpets worth over ₹50 lakh”, and costly chandeliers amongst different issues have been procured and put in at Kejriwal’s former official residence.
Gupta had additionally alleged that discrepancies have been discovered between the objects supplied by PWD to Kejriwal’s residence in 2022, when he assumed workplace because the chief minister for the second time, and the objects left behind by him after stepping down in 2024.
“PWD provided certain furniture and amenities in 2022, an inventory check conducted by PWD after Kejriwal vacated the bungalow in 2024 revealed the presence of many additional luxurious items not supplied by the department. These included luxury toilet seats, expensive wash basins, reclining sofas, costly curtains, premium carpets, high-value TV sets, and refrigerators,” Gupta stated.
In response, the AAP stated in an announcement: “The BJP neither has a credible face for Delhi, nor a vision, nor any planning, their sole agenda is to hurl abuses at Arvind Kejriwal…Let them conduct as many investigations as they want—so far, they’ve filed over 200 cases against us, and we’ve been acquitted in almost all of them, and we’ll ultimately be acquitted in the remaining ones as well. The BJP has engaged in nothing but negative politics: filing false cases, and using ED and CBI to topple governments. But nothing will stop Arvind Kejriwal from working for the citizens of Delhi.”