₹96 lakh curtains, ₹16 lakh silk carpets: Audit reveals lavish spending on Arvind Kejriwal's ‘sheesh mahal’

Main and sheer curtains worth ₹96 lakh, kitchen equipment worth ₹39 lakh, a minibar worth ₹4.80 lakh, and silk carpets worth ₹16.27 lakh–these are the findings of an audit of the official residence of then Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at 6, Flag Staff Road. These findings indicate that these expenses escalated the property's renovation costs, sparking the “Sheesh Mahal” controversy ahead of the Delhi elections 2025.

Arvind Kejriwal vacated the house after he stepped down as Delhi's chief minister after his release in the liquor policy scam case.

The initial estimate for the renovation of the official residence of the Delhi chief minister was ₹7.91 crore. When it was awarded in 2020, the cost was estimated to be ₹8.62 crore. Upon completion by the Public Works Department (PWD) in 2022, the total cost of the alleged “Sheesh Mahal” was ₹33.66 crore – four times the actual estimates, Indian Express reported, citing findings by the then Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), Girish Chandra Murmu.

ARVIND KEJRIWAL'S SHEESH MAHAL AUDIT REPORT

The main and sheer curtains worth ₹96 lakh were used in the official residence of the Delhi chief minister when Arvind Kejriwal held the post, kitchen equipment worth ₹39 lakh, the cost of floor tiles, which were estimated to be ₹5.5 lakh went up to ₹14 lakh and TV console of ₹20.34 lakh was installed.

The report said the treadmill and gym equipment cost ₹18.52 lakh, silk carpets cost ₹16.27 lakh and a minibar cost ₹4.80 lakh. The round dining table cost ₹4.80 lakh; the faux leather cladding was worth ₹5.45 lakh, and the L-shaped sofa cost ₹6.40 lakh.

The CAG report also mentioned the “agreement item” and what they were substituted with “extra costs.” Of the ₹33.66 crore, ₹18.88 crore was spent on “items of superior specification, artistic, antique and ornamental items” included as “extra items.”

The items include a prefabricated lift and sliding doors costing ₹61 lakh, superior class A grade white Dior pearl marble stone, prefabricated bathtub, prefabricated glass shower enclosure and doors.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, took a dig at Arvind Kejriwal after inaugurating several key development projects for Delhi on Friday, January 3, and said he could have also built a “Sheesh Mahal” for himself but chose to prioritise the people by constructing houses for them.

Responding to PM Modi's “Sheesh Mahal” remark against him, the former Delhi chief minister said, “The talk of Sheesh Mahal does not behove a person who built ₹2,700-crore house for himself, travelling in a ₹8400-crore plane and wearing a ₹10-lakh suit.”