New Delhi, Jan 27 (IANS) The Delhi Assembly Secretariat on Tuesday wrote to former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and three of his Aam Aadmi Party colleagues informing them that their non-appearance before a House Committee over the ‘Faansi Ghar’ matter amounts to contempt of the House.

The Secretariat issued letters to Kejriwal, former Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, and former Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla, apprising them that the Privileges Committee has held that their deliberate non-appearance before it amounts to contempt of the House and of the Committee.

The letters conveyed that the Committee has recommended appropriate action against them by the House and called upon the individuals concerned to take note of the findings and recommendations contained in the First Report of the Privileges Committee.

The matter pertains to the alleged false claims made during the previous AAP government to wrongly brand a colonial-era ‘Tiffin Room’ as a ‘Faansi Ghar’ (Execution Chamber) within the Assembly premises. The matter was later referred to the Privileges Committee by the Speaker.

The letters issued to the four AAP leaders now, after due consideration of the report submitted by the Privileges Committee, relate to the “deliberate non-appearance” of the concerned individuals before the Committee despite repeated notices, adequate opportunity, and the absence of any stay or direction from any court.

The Committee, after scrutiny of the sequence of events, correspondence, legal position, and established parliamentary procedure, has concluded that such conduct amounted to contempt of the House and of the Committee.

It might be recalled that the Delhi Legislative Assembly, in its earlier proceedings, adopted the First Report of the Committee of Privileges after a motion was moved agreeing with the report presented in the Assembly on January 6.

The House also approved a further motion directing Kejriwal, Goel, Sisodia and Rakhi Birla to appear in person before the Committee of Privileges as and when summoned, to explain their absence from the sittings held on November 13 and 29, 2025 and provide any information or documents in their possession regarding the alleged existence of a ‘Faansi Ghar’ in the Assembly precincts.

The House also resolved that, in the event of their failure to appear, Speaker Vijender Gupta may take necessary steps to enforce their attendance.

--IANS

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