Damage inside Delhi civic body House may soon cost councillors

The proposal follows repeated disruptions and cites laws and a Supreme Court ruling on liability for damage to public property.

You break it, you pay for it.

The move comes after a series of House meetings that have seen clashes erupting, resulting in damaged property. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is considering recovering the cost of damage to municipal property during chaotic House proceedings directly from councillors found responsible, with the proposed recovery extending to their property tax dues if they fail to deposit the amount in the civic body’s treasury.

The proposal has been made by Narendra Kumar, chairman of the MCD’s Special Committee on Code of Conduct for Councillors, in a letter highlighting the destruction caused during the October 22 meeting of the House of Councillors. The mayor has forwarded the communication to the municipal commissioner, seeking action in accordance with the rules and a report on the steps taken.

The committee has argued that elected representatives cannot claim immunity from criminal or civil liability for deliberately damaging public property during House proceedings. It has maintained that the freedom councillors enjoy to speak and vote in meetings does not protect them from liability for vandalism, assault or wilful destruction of property.

The proposal also cites the Supreme Court’s 2021 judgment in State of Kerala v K Ajith, in which the court held that legislative privileges could not be used as a shield against criminal prosecution for acts involving the destruction of public property inside a legislative assembly. It argues that the principles of the judgment are equally relevant to municipal councillors.

The recommendation comes amid repeated disruptions of MCD House meetings, with heated exchanges often escalating into physical altercations and damage to civic property.

If accepted, it could introduce a financial accountability mechanism for councillors involved in such incidents. The BJP, too, has seen its councillors engage in ruckus during House proceedings when the party was in opposition. It regained control of the MCD on April 25, 2025.

In August 2024, HT reported that 30 House meetings in 2023-24 were marred by disruptions. Around ₹1 crore was spent on logistics, while damage to microphones, table tops and chairs cost ₹34 lakh. The disruptions also resulted in 3.1 tonnes of paper being wasted, ₹10 lakh being spent on food and snacks, and 51,000 man-hours being lost.