Explain why 600-yr-old mosque was razed: HC tells Delhi Development body

NT Bureau, Agencies

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the Delhi Development Authority to explain why it demolished a 600-year-old mosque in the national capital on Tuesday, Live Law reported.

On January 30, the Akhondji mosque in the city’s Mehrauli neighbourhood was bulldozed along with the Behrul Uloom madrasa by the Delhi Development Authority.

The Delhi Development Authority, a statutory body that reports to the Union government, is responsible for planning and constructing urban projects in the national capital territory.

The managing committee of the Delhi Waqf Board contended in its plea before the High Court that the mosque’s Imam Zakir Hussain and his family have been left without a shelter as his home was also razed.

The DDA submitted that the demolition took place on the recommendations made by the Delhi government’s religious committee on January 4.

It also told the court that the religious committee had given the Delhi Waqf Board's chief executive officer an opportunity to argue their side, Bar and Bench reported.

However, the Waqf Board argued that the religious committee has no authority to order any demolition. The Delhi Development Authority said that the action was taken after the Ridge management board decided to free the area from “all type of illegal encroachment”.

“A committee was formed under [the] chairmanship of DM [District Magistrate] South Delhi to assess the encroachment in Sanjay Van, which suggested the removal of various illegal structures from the Sanjay Van,” the civic body said in a statement shared with Scroll.