Privileges panel summons Kejriwal, Sisodia to appear on March 6 in ‘Phansi Ghar’ row

In his reply, Kejriwal said repeatedly summoning him was a futile exercise. However, he cited a prior engagement and sought time to appear on either of the dates between March 2 to March 6

The Delhi assembly’s committee of privileges has directed former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, and his then deputy Manish Sisodia to appear before it on March 6 over the authenticity in connection with the “Phansi Ghar” controversy, officials aware of the matter said on Monday.

A view of the ‘Phansi Ghar’ memorial room inaugurated in 2022 by the the then AAP government at the Delhi assembly. (HT Archive)

Kejriwal, Sisodia, former speaker Ram Niwas Goel and then deputy speaker Rakhi Birla were directed to appear in person on February 16 but they skipped the meeting. In his reply, Kejriwal said repeatedly summoning him was a futile exercise. However, he cited a prior engagement and sought time to appear on either of the dates between March 2 to March 6.

“The committee has scheduled this final appearance for March 6, following a meeting convened on Monday to deliberate on the matter after the four individuals submitted written replies requesting an extension of a few days to record their statements. This date has been formalised to ensure the inquiry proceeds without further delay,” said an official.

According to Pradyumn Singh Rajput, chairman of the privileges committee, Sisoodia, Goel and Birla also submitted requests for a few days’ extension, mirroring the timeline suggested by Kejriwal.

The issue refers to “Phansi Ghar (gallows chamber)”, a room that was publicly showcased by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in August 2022 as a historical execution chamber on the assembly premises. It became a political flashpoint after Speaker Vijender Gupta last year showed maps and shared other details, claiming that it was a lift chamber used for transporting tiffins and not an execution room.

The development follows proceedings of the Delhi assembly last month, when the house adopted the first report of the committee of privileges after a motion was moved, agreeing with the report presented on January 6, 2026.

The report recorded that the absence of the AAP leaders mentioned from committee sittings on November 13 and November 20, 2025, remained unexplained despite repeated communications being sent to them.