Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has written to Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, saying Delhi’s senior-most minister Atishi will hoist the national flag at the 77th year of independence.
The officials said Atishi would hoist the flag in the absence of Kejriwal, who has been in prison following his arrest over alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped 2021-22 excise policy.
Atishi is currently a Cabinet Minister, Govt of NCT of Delhi (Finance, Planning, Vigilance, Services, Education, PWD, Power, Water, Law, Revenue, Information and Publicity) and the MLA from Kalkaji constituency of Delhi.
She was appointed minister in early 2023 following deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia’s resignation weeks after his arrest in the excise policy case.
The Delhi chief minister hoists the flag annually on Independence Day at Chhatrasal Stadium. Kejriwal has been hoisting the flag at the Delhi government function since 2015.
Kejriwal is currently logged in Tihar with corruption and money laundering cases linked with Delhi excise policy. He was arrested on March 21. He has since been in jail barring the period when he was out on interim bail during the Lok Sabha elections in May.