'Phansi-ghar' row: Delhi Assembly issues warning to Kejriwal

New Delhi: The Delhi Assembly on Friday issued a warning to AAP leaders, including former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, regarding the 'Phansi-ghar' issue, based on a report from its Privileges Committee.

The report, which was tabled in the assembly on March 23, was discussed in the House. Following the discussion, the House addressed a motion proposed by BJP MLA Jintedra Mahajan. He recommended issuing a warning to Kejriwal and other AAP leaders for showing contempt by failing to appear before the committee.

The motion was seconded by ruling party MLA Raj Kumar Bhatia, and the House ultimately passed it via a voice vote.


The 'Phansi-ghar' was inaugurated in the assembly by Kejriwal, in the presence of then deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, speaker Ram Niwas Goel and deputy speaker Rakhi Birla, on August 9, 2022.

After the BJP took power in Delhi in February of the previous year, the issue was raised in the assembly, with Speaker Vijender Gupta labelling it a "tiffin room" rather than a gallows where freedom fighters were hanged.

The matter was then referred to the Privileges Committee for examination. The panel summoned Kejriwal and other AAP leaders for an explanation, but they initially failed to appear.

Kejriwal and other AAP leaders, including Goel and Birla, eventually appeared before the committee earlier this month.

Speaker Gupta noted that the rules allow the committee to recommend a jail term for contempt, but it acted appropriately by limiting the punishment to just a warning.