The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has asked the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) to probe into the allegations of ‘irregularities in the construction and renovation’ of Arvind Kejriwal’s residence when he was in office.
The bungalow, located on 6, Flagstaff road in Civil Lines, is referred as “Sheesh Mahal’ by the BJP, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. The issue has been frequently raised by the ruling party every once in a while, even addressed in the speeches of the leaders. It was allotted to Arvind Kejriwal in 2015 when he assumed office and belongs to Public Works Deaprtment, Delhi.
CVC seeking for probe into the matter is only more ‘incoming trouble’ for the former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. A complaint was filed with the CVC alleging illegal construction of the property by Rohini BJP MP Virendra Gupta, then leader of opposition in the Delhi Legislative Assembly.
It was alleged by Gupta that Kejriwal had defied regulations in order to construct his “lavish mansion” that covered eight acres of land with other government properties on Rajpur road. The road had residences of senior officers and judges in Type V flats as well as two bungalows that were demolished and merged into the new residence of Kejriwal. This violates the ground coverage and floor area ration (FAR) norms. Gupta even alleged that the residence construction lacked proper layout plan approvals.
Before CVC and even the complaint filing, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered a preliminary enquiry into the matter in 2023. This was months after the Ministry of Home Affairs had asked the Comptroller and Auditor General of India to conduct a special audit into the alleged irregularities and violations in the reconstruction of the bungalow.
On October 16 2024, the CVC had registered a complaint for examination into the matter. It was forwarded to CPWD for further investigation. The Chief vigilance officer (CPWD) had submitted a factual report to the CVC based on Gupta’s complaint. On Thursday, 13th February 2025, the CVC has advised CVO of CPWD to conduct a detailed investigation into the matter, as said by Gupta. “A suitable action based on the finding of the investigation report” will be taken.
A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General details that the audit of the house’s renovation and repair shows that from a preliminary estimate of Rs 7.91 crore in 2020, total cost of work carried out at the bungalow soared up to Rs 33.66 crore to its end in 2022.
Kejriwal vacated the house in October 2024, when he had to step down as Delhi Chief Minister when he was put behind bars in Excise policy case. AAP continues to deny the allegations by BJP and says that it is not Kejriwal’s “personal asset” which will be allotted to others in the future. BJP is now in power and will soon form Government in the state, declaring CM's face. The party has already stated that the new CM won't stay in 'Sheesh Mahal'. Now we will have to wait to see what comes out in the new findings of the case, and the future of "Sheesh Mahal".
