Delhi Assembly panel releases fresh notice of appearance to Facebook India VP

The Delhi Assembly's peace and harmony committee has issued a fresh notice to Facebook India Vice President and Managing Director Ajit Mohan to ensure his presence for deposing before the panel on September 23.

Any defiance to the subsequent notice for appearance will be deemed to be an act of "breach of the constitutionally-guaranteed privileges" of the committee, warned a statement issued by the panel.

The final warning was issued by the committee chaired by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Raghav Chadha as Mohan did not appear for his deposition during the last meeting of the panel.

Chadha had said the non-appearance of the top Facebook official to depose before the committee was a contempt of the Delhi Legislative Assembly as well as the people of the national capital.

He had insisted that Facebook must honour the proceedings taking place under Delhi's state legislature in the same manner as they did for a parliamentary standing committee.

"Any rebuttal or disregard to this subsequent notice shall be deemed as a wilful act of breach of privilege and thus, shall entail various proceedings initiated against Facebook India," the statement said.

The committee had taken cognizance of the accusations against Facebook for its alleged "complicity" in the northeast Delhi riots of February on the premise of the "incriminatory material" produced on record by the witnesses as well as their depositions in its previous meetings.