Overview

• On July 17, Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood presented invoices and internal notes showing Arvind Kejriwal purchased four iPhones costing between ₹81,000 and ₹1.63 lakh, exceeding the ₹50,000 limit set in a 2013 GAD circular.
• Sood alleged that Manish Sisodia bought at least five high-end handsets, including Samsung Galaxy S8 models and iPhones priced between ₹1.12 lakh and ₹1.66 lakh, often securing post-facto approvals for the excess costs.
• Former ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj were cited for acquiring an iPhone 14 Pro Max in split payments and an iPhone 13 in 2023, with reimbursements surpassing their ₹45,000 entitlement.
• On July 9, the Delhi General Administration Department raised mobile purchase ceilings to ₹1.5 lakh for the chief minister and ₹1.25 lakh for other ministers, marking the first revision in 12 years.
• AAP leaders dismissed the BJP’s revelations as baseless and politically motivated, arguing that the charges divert attention from delays in welfare schemes such as the ₹2,500 women’s stipend.