The Delhi High Court Monday declined to grant an urgent listing to a plea by the managing committee of the Delhi Waqf Board against the stopping of offering namaz by devotees at the Mughal Mosque in South Delhi’s Mehrauli area.
The plea was mentioned for an urgent hearing before a vacation bench of Justices Manoj Kumar Ohri and Poonam A. Bamba, which said there was no urgency in the matter.
The plea was mentioned by advocate M. Sufian Siddiqui on behalf of the Managing Committee of the Delhi Waqf Board about the Mughal Mosque situated within the ‘Qutub Complex’ but outside the ‘Qutub Enclosure’.
Duly notified waqf property
The counsel said it is not the contentious ‘Quwattul Islam Mosque’ and is a duly gazette notified waqf property that has a duly appointed Imam and Moazin.
The lawyer submitted before the court that namaz was regularly performed at the mosque and has never been closed for worship.
Namaz stopped by ASI
However, the officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in an “absolutely unlawful, arbitrary and precipitous manner” completely stopped the namaz on May 13, 2022, without serving any notice or order, he said.
Siddiqui submitted that the fundamental rights of the worshippers stand violated on a continuous basis and to ensure that the primacy of rule of law is preserved and upheld, this matter may be listed for urgent hearing.
Earlier, on June 3 also, the plea was mentioned for an urgent listing but it was declined by the bench of Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Sachin Datta.
