Work on ex-CM Arvind Kejriwal’s former bungalow cost 342 per cent more than estimates, CAG report flags

The report further noted that out of the total expenditure, Rs 18.88 crore was spent on “superior specifications, artistic, antique and ornamental” items.

The CAG report also highlighted several irregularities in the execution of works related to additional accommodation at the Flagstaff Road bungalow, as well as alterations to the camp office and staff block by the PWD.

It pointed out that administrative approval and expenditure sanction amounting to Rs 9.34 crore were granted more than two months after the completion of the work, thereby creating a liability without prior approval.

During execution, the PWD increased the built-up area from 1,397 sq m to 1,905 sq m, a 36 per cent rise, and revised the preliminary estimates four times to accommodate the increased cost.

Further, the audit found that of the Rs 19.87 crore sanctioned for the construction of a staff block and camp office, funds were diverted for other works. The staff block was not constructed and, instead, seven servant quarters were built at another location unrelated to the original project.

The nature of the camp office was also altered from a permanent to a semi-permanent structure. Ultimately, only the raw structure of the camp office was completed as funds were exhausted, and the PWD initiated foreclosure of the work in June 2023, the report added.

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has dismissed the CAG report on the construction of the bungalow as “baseless”.

“The house was constructed for the CM as his official residence, and it is still there. Arvind Kejriwal has not taken it away. Therefore, all of this is baseless. After the discharge of all our leaders in the so-called excise case, the Central Government stands completely exposed,” AAP stated.

The AAP also alleged that BJP and its governments are targeting the party in “every possible frivolous case.” “They have been conducting investigation after investigation and inquiry after inquiry, but nothing has come out of it,” AAP said.

Kejriwal lived in the bungalow as CM for nearly a decade, from 2015 to 2024. The residence later became the centre of controversy after the Delhi Vigilance Department initiated a probe following allegations of irregularities in its renovation and construction.

The BJP had then hit out at the AAP, branding the building as “Sheesh Mahal” over alleged corruption. Upping the ante, the BJP had also created replicas of the bungalow during election campaigns to highlight what it called lavish spending of public money. AAP lost the Assembly elections to the BJP in February 2025 after a decade in power in Delhi.