The Central Vigilance Commission has directed the Central Public Works Department to conduct an inquiry into alleged irregularities in the construction and renovation of the official residence of the chief minister of Delhi, The Indian Express reported on Saturday.

The 6, Flagstaff Road bungalow located at Civil Lines had been used by Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal when he was the chief minister.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has repeatedly claimed that the residence was turned into a “sheesh mahal”, or an opulent palace, when Kejriwal held the post. The BJP has alleged that renovations worth more than Rs 40 crore were carried out inside the residence.

On October 14, newly-elected BJP MLA Vijender Gupta filed a complaint with the Central Vigilance Commission claiming that Kejriwal flouted building regulations to construct a “lavish mansion” spanning eight acres.

Gupta alleged that several type-five flats and two government bungalows on the adjacent Rajpur Road were merged with the 6, Flagstaff Road bungalow, violating ground coverage and floor area ratio norms, PTI reported. It also lacked proper layout plan approvals, he added in the complaint.

Two days later, the Central Vigilance Commission filed a complaint in the matter and forwarded it to the Central Public Works Department for further investigation, The Indian Express reported.

In December, a factual report based on the complaint filed by Gupta was submitted by the Central Public Works Department to the Central Vigilance Commission.

On Thursday, Gupta said that the Central Vigilance Commission had informed him that it had asked the Chief Vigilance Officer of the Central Public Works Department to conduct a detailed investigation into the matter after examining the factual report.

The Central Vigilance Commission also told Gupta that “suitable action based on the findings of the investigation report” would be taken, The Indian Express reported.

In September 2023, the Central Bureau of Investigation had also initiated a preliminary inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the construction and renovation of the residence.

The inquiry had been filed against “unknown public servants of the Government of Delhi”.

This came two months after the Union government had asked the Comptroller Auditor General of India to conduct a special audit into the alleged irregularities and violations in the reconstruction of the residence.

On February 8, the BJP defeated the AAP in the Assembly election, winning 48 seats in the 70-member Assembly. The Kejriwal-led party bagged 22 constituencies.

The BJP is yet to announce who will be the Delhi chief minister, its first in the national capital in 26 years.