Delhi HC Rejects Prayer Permission at Akhoondji Mosque Site in Mehrauli

The Delhi High Court has declined permission for prayers at the recently demolished ‘Akhoondji mosque’ in Mehrauli during the ongoing holy month of Ramzan.

A single judge, Justice Sachin Datta, while rejecting a plea by Muntazmia Committee Madarsa Behrul Ulum and Kabarstan, observed that the high court had previously denied entry of devotees to the site for Shab-e-Barat, and there was no basis to alter that decision now.

“The reasoning provided in the aforementioned order dated 23.02.2024 applies directly to the current application. Consequently, there is no justification for this Court to adopt a different stance,” the order stated.

“As such, this Court is disinclined to grant the relief sought in the present application, and it is therefore dismissed,” it added.

The order noted that the land in question is presently under the possession of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), which has already issued an order to maintain the status quo while addressing the legality of the demolition.

The petitioner had requested directives to allow unrestricted entry of devotees to the location where the mosque once stood, during the month of Ramzan, commencing from the sunset of March 11 until Eid-ul-Fitr prayers.

The ‘Akhoondji mosque’, reputedly over 600 years old, along with the Behrul Uloom madrasa, were labeled as “illegal” structures in Sanjay Van and razed by the DDA on January 30.