Delhi LG Directs Chief Secretary to Recover Rs 97 Crores from AAP Government Spent On Political Ads

In a recent order, Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has instructed the chief secretary to recover Rs 97 crore from the Delhi government, after it was found in violation of Supreme Court, Delhi High Court, and CCRGA orders from 2015, 2016, and 2016 respectively.

The violation comes in the form of political advertisements issued by the Delhi government, masquerading as government advertisements. It is accused of misusing public money to promote the party’s political agenda.

The Delhi government's Directorate of Information and Publicity (DIP) notified that a total of Rs 97.14 crore had been spent or reserved for "non-conforming advertisements," as per a 2016 directive from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's Committee on Content Regulation in Government Advertising (CCRGA).

"Of this, while payments amounting to over Rs 42.26 crore had already been released by the DIP, Rs 54.87 crore for advertisements published were still pending disbursal," a source said.

In 2017, the DIP, acting on the directive, directed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to immediately pay over Rs 42.26 crore to the state exchequer and to pay the remaining amount of Rs 54.87 crore to the relevant advertising agencies or publications within 30 days.

The AAP has failed to comply with the DIP's order, even after five years and eight months have passed. This is a serious issue because the party has not deposited public funds into the state exchequer, despite a specific order to do so. It could be construed as contemptuous of the judiciary.

In 2015, the Supreme Court formulated guidelines to regulate government advertising and reduce unnecessary expenses. In response, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting established the three-member CCRGA in 2016.

The AAP argued that Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena lacks the authority to issue orders directing the chief secretary to recover Rs 97 crore from the party for "political advertisements."

A right to information (RTI) application has revealed that the Kejriwal government's spending on advertising and publicity increased manifold since it regained power in 2015.

The government's spending on "Advertisement and Publicity" and "Other Charges" has increased nearly 44 times between 2012-13 and 2021-22. The total expenditure under these categories was Rs 11.18 crore in 2012-13 and has risen to Rs 488.97 crore by 2021-22.

(with inputs from PTI)