Jahangirpuri land row: Delhi HC reserves order on encroachment plea

Delhi High Court has reserved its order on a petition challenging encroachment on government land in Jahangirpuri. The land, acquired in 1977 and given to the DDA, is disputed with the Waqf board, which claims ownership from 1980.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday reserved its order on a petition challenging the encroachment of government land in the Jahangirpuri area of New Delhi.

On the decision, lawyer Umesh Chand Sharma said that the government acquired the land in 1977 for developing it into a colony. However, in 1980 Waqf issued a notification suggesting that the area belongs to them. "In 1977, the government acquired land in Jahangirpuri and three or four villages and gave it to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for development into colonies. In 1980, the Waqf issued a notification... We say this is government property and cannot belong to the Waqf... The Delhi High Court judge heard all this very reluctantly and reserved the petition. Waqf was arguing that the land belongs to them. It says A, B-Block, and that means it's government land..." he stated.

This encroachment is a religious structure, there is a mosque or a tomb. It even has a market as per the records, he said.

Court Issues Notice to DDA in Related Matter

Earlier last week, the Delhi High Court issued notice to the DDA regarding a petition by the Shahi Idgah Management Committee. The committee stated that the matter is pending before the Waqf Tribunal, yet DDA was proceeding with the board on the land. The Committee prayed to the High Court to prevent the DDA from installing a board on the land. Justice Jasmeet Singh issued a notice to DDA and sought a response to the petition. The counsel for DDA opposed the petition, stating that it is not maintainable. The next date is August 12 along with other connected matters. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)