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The NDMC had earlier recommended the removal of the mosque ‘for safe and smooth flow of traffic’.
| Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on Saturday told the High Court that nothing will happen to Sunehri Bagh Masjid “anytime soon” and that its removal will need approval of the Delhi government’s Heritage Conservation Committee (HCC).
The civic body made the submission before a Vacation Bench of Justice Manoj Jain in response to a plea filed by the mosque’s imam, Abdul Aziz, on December 26.
The plea challenged the civic body’s December 24 notice seeking suggestions or objections from the public regarding the removal of the mosque located near the Central Secretariat roundabout.
An official had earlier said the NDMC had issued the notice on the basis of a notification by Delhi Traffic Police stating that the mosque creates traffic snarls in the area, especially on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Earlier in August, the NDMC had recommended the removal of the 150-year-old mosque to the HC “for safe and smooth flow of traffic”, citing that it falls in a high-security zone where Parliament and Central government offices are located.
‘Cultural heritage’
Challenging the NDMC notice, Mr. Aziz argued that the 150-year-old mosque is a symbol of the rich cultural heritage of the country. He said the entire Lutyens’ area came into existence and settled around the mosque decades after it was built and that no disturbance was caused either to the structure or the surrounding area.
He said the claim that it causes traffic snarls is baseless and false.
Advocate Sriharsha Peechara, representing the NDMC, submitted that the civic body had merely issued a public notice. “The decision has to be taken by the HCC, not by us,” he added.
The counsel further submitted that the HCC is to be reconstituted since some of its members have resigned. Hence, “nothing is going to happen to this mosque anytime soon”, he added.
The court adjourned the matter till January 8.
‘Matter politicised’
Meanwhile, NDMC Vice-Chairman Satish Upadhyay said the civic body is “just the implementing body, not the authorising body”. He said the matter had been politicised unnecessarily and that the NDMC is only following the by-laws as the mosque falls under both religious and heritage categories.
He said the civic body had issued the notice only after obtaining a no-objection certificate from the Delhi government’s religious committee.
‘Over 1,000 pleas’
The NDMC notice resulted in an outpouring of support for the mosque. An NDMC official told The Hindu that they have received over a thousand pleas against its removal. Various academics, researchers, and religious bodies have expressed their disapproval of the proposal on X (formerly Twitter).
The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, a socio-religious organisation of Indian Muslims, has written to the NDMC, saying, “The mosque is significant not only from the religious point of view but also for historical, political, and cultural reasons.”
“It is significant because Muslim MPs and members of the Muslim community working in government offices visit this mosque,” it said. “It is a historical place and has survived the British Raj,” the body said.
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