Arvind Kejriwal, Atishi, or LG who will hoist flag on Independence Day? Here's the controversy

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in a letter to Lt Governor VKSaxena, has said that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi would hoist the tricolour on Independence Day in his stead.

Kejriwal, lodged in the Tihar Jail for months, sought to appoint Atishi to take over the flag hoisting ceremony at the Union territory Independence Day celebration on August 15. However, the letter to LG was flagged as "an abuse of privileges" by the Tihar Jail authorities.

Reaction to Kejriwal's letter

As per the report, the lieutenant governor's office has denied receiving any communication from the Delhi chief minister.

Slamming Kejriwal for the letter, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) pointed out that, as per the national flag protocol, only the chief minister can hoist the flag. The BJP Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said that if Kejriwal wanted Atishi to hoist the flat, he should resign and make her the CM.

"If the chief minister is unable to hoist the flag, then traditionally, the lieutenant governor of Delhi will hoist the flag. From 1991 to 1993 and in 2014, when there was no chief minister in Delhi, the lieutenant governor hoisted the flag," he said.

'Abuse of privileges'

As per a PTI report, the superintendent of Tihar's jail number two cited various provisions of the Delhi Prisons Rules, 2018, and advised the Delhi CM in a letter "to desist from any such impermissible activity". Kejriwal was warned that his privileges could be curtailed.

"From a bare reading of the above rules, it is clear that your communication does not qualify in the permissible communication which can be sent outside the prison. Only private correspondence with a designated set of people, as defined above, is permissible. Therefore, your letter dated 06.08.2024 has not been sent to the addressee but has been filed," the Tihar authorities said in a letter to Kejriwal.

It further added that under-trialsare governed by the legal provisions of the Delhi Prison Rules, which circumscribe their rights and privileges.

"It is surprising to note that the contents of the letter, which was handed over by you on August 6, were leaked to the media without any authority. This amounts to an abuse of privileges granted to you under the Delhi Prison Rules, 2018," it added.

Advising Kejriwal to "desist from any such impermissible activity,"the Tihar superintendent warned him that "failing which I shall be constrained to invoke the provisions of Delhi Prison Rules, 2018, to curtail your privileges."

(With inputs from agencies)