Panel to report on Kejriwal’s Phansi Ghar lies: Speaker

Following discussions in the Privileges Committee, Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta on Friday accused Arvind Kejriwal of spreading a “fake narrative” about the presence of a Phansi Ghar in the Assembly complex and stated that the panel will submit a report on his previous failure to appear before it.

Addressing a press conference, Gupta alleged that Kejriwal and his colleagues from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) misled the nation by making claims about a ‘Phansi Ghar’ in the premises of the Delhi Legislative Assembly and linking it with the sentiments of martyrs.            

He mentioned that the issue was raised in the Assembly, after which the House decided that the Privileges Committee should examine the entire matter. 

Gupta noted that when the committee’s report was submitted in the previous House, some members were accused of contempt for not appearing before the panel despite being summoned and for repeatedly avoiding it.

“One issue has been established — failure to appear before the committee when summoned. The committee will submit its report on this matter,” he said.           

He also termed the statements made about the Privileges Committee and the alleged gallows as “condemnable” and unacceptable, adding that the House will take cognisance of the issue after the panel submits its report. The committee is looking into the matter concerning a renovated section of the Delhi Assembly, which the AAP Government had inaugurated as a British-era Phansi Ghar (execution chamber), while the BJP claims it was simply a tiffin room. The Chairperson of the Committee of Privileges, Pradyuman Singh Rajput, said that while the summoned individuals finally appeared, they had previously attempted to evade the committee’s proceedings.

“It is deeply concerning that those who held such high constitutional offices could not present a single factual document or piece of evidence before the Committee today to support their claims,” he said, adding that the committee will now collectively deliberate on the next course of action based on Friday’s recorded versions.

The Privileges Committee comprises Chairperson Pradyumn Singh Rajput, BJP MLA Surya Prakash Khatri, Abhay Kumar Verma, Ajay Kumar Mahawar, Satish Upadhyay, Neeraj Basoya, Ravi Kant, Ram Singh Netaji, and Surender Kumar, according to a statement.

The Speaker added that if the historical authenticity of the structure referred to as the ‘Phansi Ghar’ remains unsubstantiated, it would be appropriate to address the issue with transparency and factual clarity. He underscored that the matter raises significant questions of accuracy and public accountability, therefore, requires careful examination.

Earlier in the day, the Delhi Assembly wrote to Kejriwal, declining his request to live-stream the committee proceedings on Friday.

The letter noted the Privileges Committee chairperson’s surprise over Kejriwal’s “ignorance in this matter”, even though he has been a member of the assembly for over 10 years and has attended several sittings of the Privileges Committee. “I am directed by the Chairperson to inform that the proceedings of the Committee of Privileges are confidential and the Rules of Procedure do not permit their live streaming,” the Delhi Assembly Secretariat’s letter read.

Further, there is no precedent of the sitting of the Committee of Privileges being telecast in the Parliament or other States, added the letter, which was made public on Friday.

The issue dates back to 2022, when, under the then-AAP Government, a section of the Delhi Assembly was inaugurated as the British-era Phansi Ghar. The BJP, however, claimed that the section is actually a ‘tiffin room’. On August 5, 2025, the BJP and AAP sparred in the Delhi Assembly after Speaker Gupta told the House that the so-called British-era ‘Phansi Ghar’, inaugurated on the Assembly premises in 2022 following renovation by Kejriwal with much fanfare, was originally a tiffin room.

PWD minister Parvesh Verma accused the previous AAP Government of “distorting facts” and said that photos of freedom fighters in the room will be removed.

During the Assembly proceedings, Gupta cited a map from 2011, when the Delhi Assembly building was constructed, to refute claims of a tunnel running from the Assembly premises to the Red Fort.