The Delhi Assembly has summoned former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, ex-Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, and former Speaker Ram Niwas Goel to appear in person before the Committee of Privileges on 13 November. The panel is investigating the previous AAP government’s claim that a British-era room in the Assembly complex was a historic ‘Phansi Ghar’ (execution chamber). The development follows Speaker Vijender Gupta’s revelation during the Monsoon session that the so-called ‘Phansi Ghar’, inaugurated by Kejriwal in 2022, was in fact a “tiffin room” as per official records.
During the August session, Gupta presented a 1912 map of the Assembly complex, stating that there was no documentation or evidence to support the claim that the room was ever used for executions. The matter was subsequently referred to a nine-member Committee of Privileges for detailed examination and report. The Assembly Secretariat, in a notice issued on Tuesday, confirmed that the next sitting of the committee will be held on Thursday, November 13, to deliberate on the authenticity of the ‘Phansi Ghar’ inaugurated on August 9, 2022. Copies of the notice have also been sent to Rakhi Birla, the then Deputy Speaker who attended the inauguration.
The BJP has demanded that Kejriwal apologise for “misleading the House” over the issue, while the AAP has countered that MLAs are not qualified to determine historical authenticity and that experts should handle such matters.
In September 2025, the Committee of Privileges had earlier issued notices to Kejriwal, Sisodia, and Goel, seeking their written responses. The committee, headed by BJP MLA Pradyumn Singh Rajput, includes AAP legislators Surendra Kumar and Ram Singh Netaji among its members.
According to official records, the ‘Phansi Ghar’ was inaugurated in 2022 in the presence of Kejriwal as Chief Guest, Sisodia and Birla as Guests of Honour, and Goel as the presiding officer. The ongoing probe will determine whether the AAP government’s historic claim was accurate or a case of misrepresentation, marking another flashpoint in the AAP-BJP political tussle within Delhi’s legislative framework.
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