New Delhi, Feb 16 (IANS) Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has offered to appear before the Delhi Assembly’s Privileges Committee over the matter of authenticity of the “Faansi Ghar” (alleged Execution Chamber on Assembly premises) in the first week of March, an official source said on Monday.

In a letter addressed to the Assembly’s Secretariat, AAP National Convenor Kejriwal cited his busy schedule for his inability to attend the Committee’s hearing on Monday and requested the Committee to kindly fix the date for the hearing on any convenient date between March 2 and 6, 2026.

A hearing on Kejriwal’s plea challenging the Committee’s power to summon him is scheduled to be heard in the High Court on February 21.

Kejriwal’s latest letter, informing the Committee about his inability to attend the hearing, comes with a written argument challenging the jurisdiction of the panel, refers to several Supreme Court judgments and questions the purpose behind pursuing a matter related to the previous Delhi Assembly, which stands dissolved.

Kejriwal said, “As I have already indicated in my responses dated September 19, 2025, November 13, 2025 and November 19, 2025, the Delhi Assembly and its Privileges Committee does not have any jurisdiction over the issue of authenticity of the Faansi Ghar.”

He claimed the matter relates to the 7th Vidhan Sabha and lapses along with the dissolution of the 7th Vidhan Sabha on February 2, 2025.

“As there was no pending motion with respect to ‘Faansi Ghar’ at the time of lapse of the 7th Vidhan Sabha, the present i.e. the 8th Vidhan Sabha is completely devoid of jurisdiction with respect to this issue,” said the AAP leader, claiming that summons and notices sent to him are illegal and in direct contravention of a Constitution Bench’s judgment.

The former Delhi chief minister also cited Supreme Court judgments to claim that privilege extends only to those aspects that are essential and necessary for the functioning of the House.

“The authenticity of the ‘Faansi Ghar’ is in no way connected to, leave alone essential or necessary for, the functioning of the Delhi Vidhan Sabha. For this reason, as well, the proceedings initiated by the House/Privileges Committee are devoid of elementary jurisdiction,” said Kejriwal.

“I again reiterate that the summons requiring my presence again on February 16, 2026, is without jurisdiction and an assertion of power which does not exist with either the Vidhan Sabha or its committees under the Constitution or any other law,” said Kejriwal.

The matter pertains to the alleged false claims made during the previous AAP government to wrongly brand a colonial-era ‘Tiffin Room’ as a ‘Faansi Ghar’ (Execution Chamber) within the Assembly premises. The matter was later referred to the Privileges Committee by Speaker Vijender Gupta.

The Committee of Privileges, on several occasions, summoned Kejriwal, apart from other AAP leaders, including former Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, and former Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla, to provide any information or documents in their possession regarding the alleged existence of a ‘Faansi Ghar’ in the Assembly precincts.

–IANS

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