‘No violation of any law’: Kejriwal responds to EC as poll panel asks to substantiate 'poison in Yamuna' remark

Delhi Elections 2025: Former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday responded to the Election Commission (EC), which sought factual evidence to substantiate his allegation that neighbouring Haryana is poisoning the Yamuna River.

The poll panel had given Kejriwal time till 8 pm on Wednesday to file his reply.

Arvind Kejriwal sparked a controversy, saying that BJP-ruled Haryana was 'mixing poison' in Delhi's water supplied through Yamuna. Both the BJP and the Congress had complained to the Election Commission against Kejriwal for levelling allegations of poisoning the Yamuna River.

In a response letter to the EC, Kejriwal said that there was no violation of any law or any code and his statements on Yamuna water were made to highlight severe toxicity and contamination of raw water received from Haryana.

While urging to close the matter, the AAP leader also requested the Election Commission to intervene and pass appropriate directions to Haryana so that clean water is made available to the people of Delhi.

“However, the undersigned herein beseech and most humbly request your good offices to intervene on the major issue of availability of safe water and pass appropriate directions to the State of Haryana so that safe quantity of water is made available to the citizens of Delhi,” Kejriwal said in the letter.

Here's what Arvind Kejriwal said

— Safe drinking water is a basic human right; raising an issue for society cannot be termed as an offence.

— Such toxic water, if allowed to be consumed by the human population, would lead to grave health hazards and fatality.

— The issue of Haryana's toxic water supply was raised earlier, too; DJB has even approached NGT & SC.

— The root cause of this water contamination, as identified by DJB's letter, is the indiscriminate discharge of untreated domestic and industrial waste into the Yamuna River upstream.

— The systemic failure to control this pollution has resulted in an unprecedented public health crisis.

— The urgent cessation of these polluting activities is an absolute necessity, and the upper riparian authorities bear the primary responsibility to ensure that Delhi's water supply remains uncontaminated and safe.

— The statement regarding the ammonia present in Yamuna River does not violate Sections 196, 197 and 353 of the BNS Act, 2023, and Section 123(4) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

— Additionally, it is alleged that these statements breach the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). Upon a careful examination of the facts, context, and legal provisions, it is respectfully submitted that the statements made by the undersigned are fully protected under the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech and expression, and no offence or any violation of the Code of Conduct is committed by the undersigned.