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Synopsis

The Delhi High Court issued notice to the concerned authorities on Friday in response to a petition seeking immediate sealing/demolition of alleged illegal/unauthorized construction at the Heritage Fatehpuri Masjid in Delhi, reports ANI.

A division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad sought a response from the Municipal Corporation, Ministry of Culture, Archeological Survey of India (ASI), Delhi Government, and other concerned authorities, and listed the matter for further hearing on November 14, 2022.

The plea alleged that the illegal and unauthorized 10-12 shops were built in Fatehpuri Masjid without permission from the municipal corporation, no No Objection Certificate (NOC) from ASI, and no NOC from the Heritage Conservation Committee or the Heritage Building Department of the Government of India.

The property is located beneath the Fatehpuri Muslim Senior Secondary School and Fatehpuri Masjid's Heritage Building. The plea further alleged that illegal constructions in the form of unlawful shops were raised unauthorizedly in Delhi, where the Delhi Wakf Board individually allows unlawful constructions.

The petitioner Amiro Yuva Brigade sought direction to the Delhi Wakf Board to direct the restoration of the same old structure of the Heritage Fatehpuri Masjid.

The plea stated that as per the rules of the ASI, no construction is permitted within a radius of 300 meters of any Heritage Building/Monument, still, the Delhi Wakf Board is in charge of taking care of, maintaining, and running the Fatehpuri Masjid, which is a Heritage Building/Monument and it has permitted the unauthorized and illegal construction of shops within the Fatehpuri Masjid.

"Since the Fatehpuri Masjid was built in 1650 by Fatehpuri Begum, one of Shah Jahan's wives. The mosque was constructed on a grand scale with red sandstone and topped by a single dome. Fatehpuri Masjid in Delhi celebrates Id-ul-Fitr and Id-ul-Azha in grand style. The location is in the city's heart (Chandani Chowk), so it is easily accessible. The various parts of the mosque are beautifully decorated and a visual treat. The Fatehpuri Masjid and Fatehpuri School are Heritage Buildings protected by the "Archeological Survey of India," the plea read.