Privileges panel calls Arvind Kejriwal over ‘phansi ghar’ row; he says notice vague, not maintainable

The Committee will meet on November 13 at 3 pm “to deliberate the matter regarding the “Faansi Ghar” inaugurated on August 9, 2022 in Delhi Legislative Assembly premises”, according to the notice issued by the Legislative Assembly Secretariat on November 4.

In his response to a similar summons sent earlier, Kejriwal had argued that the communication of the Committee “has been issued after a delay of over 3 years from the date of the incident”, and after the dissolution of the then Assembly.

Citing a judgment of the Supreme Court, Kejriwal’s response, sent on September 19, had submitted that “after the dissolution of the 7th Legislative Assembly of Delhi, the 8th Legislative Assembly…cannot initiate privilege action for actions of the members in the 7th Legislative Assembly”.

The Seventh Assembly was dissolved in February 2025 after the completion of the election process. In his eight-page response, Kejriwal described the notice as “vague and…liable to be withdrawn”, and which “does not bring to light any privilege breach”.

“A bare perusal of the PCC (Privileges Committee Communication) reveals that it has been issued to me as I was the Chief Guest presiding over the inauguration of the faansi ghar. The said act, if taken at face value cannot be said to be an act that was done in my legislative capacity, and is thus, not within the purview of the Privilege Committee,” Kejriwal argued.

“…The inauguration of the faansi ghar has no nexus, either direct or indirect with the collective functioning of the house,” he said.

The response asked the Committee to abort “this misadventure, which is nothing but a vendetta oriented distraction strategy which is bound to fail not only in a court of law, but in the court of the people”.

In 2021, former Speaker Ram Niwas Goel had said that a British-era “tunnel” once connected the building with the Red Fort, and a “phansi ghar” existed on the Assembly premises. The AAP government subsequently came up with a plan to renovate it. The Committee of Privileges, headed by BJP MLA Pradyumn Singh Rajput, has two AAP legislators, Surendra Kumar and Ram Singh Netaji, among its members.

The Committee has also summoned former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, former Speaker Goel, and former Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla.