DIP issues recovery notice of Rs 164 crore to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal; check details

According to agency reports in December 2022, DIP had directed AAP to pay Rs 42.26 crore in 2017 and pay the pending amount of Rs 54.87 crore to the advertising agencies within 30 days.

The Directorate of Information and Publicity (DIP) has issued a recovery notice of Rs 164 crores to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal. It is reportedly said that the amount needs to be paid within 10 days.

This development comes after Delhi LG VK Saxena directed the chief secretary to recover Rs 97 crore from the AAP for political advertisements published under the guise of government advertisements during 2015–2016.

According to the LG, the said advertisements were published in the guise of government advertisements during the year 2015-2016.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has termed the expenditure as 'advertising scam'. Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri had demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter and claimed that the amount could rise to Rs 400 crore if it was not recovered in time.

According to agency reports in December 2022, DIP had directed AAP to pay Rs 42.26 crore in 2017 and pay the pending amount of Rs 54.87 crore to the advertising agencies within 30 days.

Officials had, however, said that the party had not complied with the DIP orders. It is alleged that the AAP spent the money on "non-conforming advertisements".