A panel appointed by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry in September ordered the Delhi Government to “reimburse to the state exchequer” the entire amount that the Aam Aadmi Party had spent on its advertisements. The committee on content regulation of government advertisements charged the AAP government in the national capital of violating Supreme Court guidelines. Its order said: “The Committee directs the Government of NCT of Delhi to get the entire expenditure so incurred on ... category ... reimbursed to the state exchequer from the Aam Aadmi Party.” It was also critical of the advertisements carried out by AAP outside Delhi.

The panel said if some Chief Ministers thought they were “special” and their policies were vital to the entire nation, then such political parties should bear the expenditure of such publicity and not the concerned government, an official here said.

The three-member committee, was headed by former Chief Election Commissioner B. B. Tandon, and included Ogilvy and Mather India’s Piyush Pandey and journalist Rajat Sharma of India TV. The panel passed the order taking cognizance of complaints registered by Congress leader Ajay Maken. It found there had been violations in categories like outstation advertisements, false and misleading ones, and on self-glorification. AAP had also targeted political opponents, media, and even mentioned parties in power by name. It further added that the AAP government should not have issued advertisements on incidents occurring in other states.