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The Delhi High Court has sought a response from the Centre, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and the Delhi Waqf Board on a plea concerning the Qadeemi Masjid situated within the Krishi Bhavan complex, with the petitioners seeking continuity of the prayer facility amid the ongoing redevelopment of the area.
Justice Anish Dayal, in an order passed on September 17, issued notice on the petition filed by the Qadeemi Masjid through its caretaking committee and directed the respondents to file their response/status report within four weeks. The matter has been listed for November 2, 2026. Senior Advocate Salman Khurshid, appearing for the petitioners, clarified before the court that the petitioners were not seeking to stall the redevelopment of Krishi Bhavan and Shastri Bhavan or the construction of the Common Secretariat Buildings under the Central Vista project. According to the petition, the concern is confined to the treatment of the Qadeemi Masjid and the impact of its proposed dismantling on people who have been using it as a place of prayer. The petitioners have sought consideration of retaining the mosque at its existing location and, alternatively, a reasonable, proximate and adequate alternative prayer facility if its retention is found incompatible with the approved redevelopment. Khurshid submitted that the mosque has been serving as a prayer facility for government employees and others working in surrounding government offices for several decades. He also contended that the structure is more than a century old and predates the establishment of the present government complex, with its existence stated to be documented in historical records dating back to 1945. The petition further states that the Delhi Waqf Board notified the property as Waqf property in 1970 and recorded its antiquity. The petitioners claimed that even after Krishi Bhavan, Shastri Bhavan and surrounding government offices were constructed in the 1950s and 1960s, the mosque continued to exist and was used by Muslim employees of the offices for offering prayers. The petitioners acknowledged that the land underneath the mosque is government property but expressed apprehension over the ongoing redevelopment, which involves dismantling of the existing complex. They maintained that they have no objection to the Central Vista redevelopment project and were not seeking suspension or delay in construction of the Common Secretariat Buildings. The court recorded that the petitioners were seeking a reasonable and proximate arrangement ensuring continuity of the prayer facility, referring to Article 25 of the Constitution. Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma appeared for the Union of India and told the court that he would take instructions on the issue raised in the petition and file a response/status report by the next date. The court directed all respondents to file their responses within four weeks, with an advance copy to the petitioners counsel. The Union government was represented by ASG Chetan Sharma, while NDMC was represented by Standing Counsel Saurabh Seth and the Delhi Waqf Board by Additional Standing Counsel Farhat Jahan Rehmani. (ANI)
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