Press Release
Location: New Delhi
The Speaker of the Delhi Legislative Assembly, Shri Vijender Gupta, has referred the matter relating to the action taken by the Punjab Police to the Assembly’s Committee of Privileges for detailed examination and submission of a report. The decision follows developments connected to statements made on the floor of the House by the Leader of Opposition, Ms. Atishi, on 6 January 2026.
The Hon’ble Speaker took cognizance of the FIR registered on the complaint of Mr. Iqbal Singh, as well as a formal complaint submitted by Delhi Government Cabinet Minister Shri Kapil Mishra. After examining the responses received from the Punjab Police and the material placed on record, the Speaker concluded that a prima facie case of breach of legislative privilege and contempt of the House is made out.
The issue arose when the Punjab Police publicly stated that a video clip related to the proceedings of the Delhi Legislative Assembly had been edited or tampered with. Since the matter directly pertains to the proceedings of the House, which fall within the exclusive domain of legislative privilege, the Delhi Assembly Secretariat had sought an explanation from the Punjab Police and informed them that any action relating to Assembly proceedings should have been brought to the notice of the Hon’ble Speaker beforehand.
Written responses submitted by the Director General of Police, Punjab, and the Commissioner of Police, Jalandhar, claimed that the police acted in accordance with law, that the alleged acts were committed by persons outside the Assembly, and that the matter did not fall within the scope of legislative privilege. The Speaker found these explanations unsatisfactory and rejected them.
The Speaker also noted that despite repeated reminders, essential documents—including copies of the complaint, FIR, social media expert report, and the Forensic Science Laboratory (Punjab) report—were not furnished to the Assembly Secretariat.
In line with the assurance given on the floor of the House, an independent forensic examination was conducted by the Forensic Science Laboratory, Delhi. The findings confirmed that the statements in question were indeed made on the floor of the Assembly.
The Speaker clarified that there was no attempt to obstruct any investigation. The objection pertains solely to the declaration of alleged tampering without prior verification from the Assembly. The argument that the matter could not be examined due to it being sub judice was also rejected, as privilege matters are not barred by such limitations.
The Speaker further considered the complaint submitted by Shri Kapil Mishra alleging breach of privilege and violation of Article 361A of the Constitution, which protects the publication of a substantially true report of legislative proceedings from criminal liability.
In view of the above, the Committee of Privileges has been directed to examine the conduct and actions of Mr. Iqbal Singh, the Director General of Police, Punjab, the Commissioner of Police, Jalandhar, the Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Government of Punjab, and other concerned officials, and to submit its report to the House in accordance with rules.
