Pankaj Jain
New Delhi, Mar 6 (UNI) Aam Aadmi Party national convenor and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, former Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goyal and former deputy speaker Rakhi Birla on Friday appeared before the Delhi Assembly’s Committee of Privileges in connection with the controversy over the authenticity of the ”Faansi Ghar” inaugurated inside the Assembly premises in August 2022.
Former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, however, did not appear before the committee despite earlier indicating that he would attend the proceedings.
According to officials, the three leaders appeared before the committee, took an oath of secrecy and placed their statements on record regarding the matter under examination.
Committee of Privileges Chairperson Pradyuman Singh Rajput said the individuals appeared before the panel after earlier failing to attend its proceedings.
Rajput questioned how a decision to establish a structure described as a “Faansi Ghar” could have been taken without any historical or factual basis.
He said those who held high constitutional offices were unable to present any documentary evidence before the committee to support their claims.
He further said that making unverified claims about the existence of a “Faansi Ghar” not only misled the public but also hurt the memory of freedom fighters. The committee will now deliberate on the next course of action based on the statements recorded during the meeting.
The Privileges Committee comprises BJP MLAs Pradyuman Singh Rajput, Surya Prakash Khatri, Abhay Kumar Verma, Ajay Kumar Mahawar, Satish Upadhyay, Neeraj Basoya, Ravi Kant, Ram Singh Netaji and Surender Kumar.
Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta said misleading information regarding the Delhi Legislative Assembly, particularly about the existence of a “Faansi Ghar” and references linked to freedom fighters, had been used to misguide the public.
Gupta said the issue was formally raised and referred to the Privileges Committee for examination.
He noted that the individuals concerned had earlier failed to appear before the committee despite being summoned.
He said the committee will give its report on whether the repeated absence of the summoned individuals amounts to contempt of the House and breach of privilege.
The Speaker added that if the historical authenticity of the structure referred to as the “Faansi Ghar” remains unsubstantiated, the matter should be addressed with transparency and factual clarity, as it raises important questions of accuracy and public accountability.
