Delhi HC Trashes Plea Seeking Possession Of Red Fort By ‘Mughal Family Member’

The Delhi High Court dismissed a plea by a woman claiming to be the widow of the great-grandson of Bahadur Shah Zafar II. She sought possession of the Red Fort, a historic Mughal monument in Delhi, from the government.

Court Rejects Appeal Due to Delay

On Friday, a division bench of Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela refused to entertain the appeal. The woman had challenged the 2021 decision of a single-judge bench which had rejected her petition. The bench stated that the two-and-a-half-year delay in filing the appeal was unreasonable and should not be condoned.

Claim Over Red Fort Lacks Evidence

The woman’s plea claimed that her family’s property was taken by the British East India Company following the 1857 uprising. She argued that after Bahadur Shah Zafar’s exile, the Red Fort was illegally taken by the government. She sought either possession of the Red Fort or adequate compensation for the period since 1857.

During the hearing, Justice Rekha Palli questioned the long delay, asking why the petitioner had waited over 150 years to file the case. She also noted the lack of documentary evidence linking the petitioner to the last Mughal emperor. The court pointed out that no inheritance chart had been provided.

The petitioner’s lawyer argued that the Begum, a relative of the emperor, was illiterate. However, the court rejected the plea, stating that the delay and lack of action over such a long period could not be justified, regardless of the petitioner’s literacy.

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