A senior law officer has advised Delhi’s lieutenant governor, Anil Baijal, that public funds cannot be spent defending chief minister Arvind Kejriwal over remarks he made about Union minister Arun Jaitley, because those remarks were made in a personal capacity.

The LG’s questions

The LG had sought an opinion on two points: whether Kejriwal’s statements against Jaitley were made in his official role, and whether the state should bear the cost of a special lawyer for him. Additional solicitor general Sanjay Jain answered no to both.

According to Jain, the comments posted on Kejriwal’s personal Twitter account were unrelated to his duties as chief minister and were made purely as an individual. He described them as “distinctly in his individual or personal capacity”.

The advice

Jain said the Constitution does not allow public money to be used for private ends. Since Kejriwal was being sued as an individual, he argued, the government could not pay for his defence. He recommended that the LG reject the proposal to engage senior advocate Ram Jethmalani for Kejriwal at the government’s expense.

The opinion is advisory; the decision on the proposal rests with the LG.

See also: Aam Aadmi Party, political leaders

Originally published on 29 May 2017. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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