The Delhi High Court recently stayed the destruction of a half-century-old hanuman temple in North-East Delhi after its caretakers received a notice from the Public Works Department (PWD) stating that it was built on government land.
Justice Tushar Rao Gedela also called for a status report from the local police station on the issue, which would include any disruptions to traffic movement caused by the structure.
“In the meantime, no coercive action will be taken by any of the respondents (Government Authority) to remove the Hanuman Temple under the letter dated 03.05.2023 issued by PWD until the next date of hearing,” the ruling read.
The matter is listed for further consideration on August 9, 2023.
The petitioner claimed that on May 3, he received a notice from the PWD indicating that the religious structure was built on government property and hence illegal. The temple’s caretakers were told to vacate the grounds by May 15, or face “severe consequences” from the Delhi government and PWD.
The notice dated May 3 stated that the “unauthorized religious structure” had been built by an encroachment on Wazirabad Road government land within the authority of the PWS.
According to the petitioner, whose grandfather is said to have built the Hanuman temple in the 1940s, the area surrounding the structure was not urbanized.
It is contended that the petitioner’s family has cared for and maintained the temple for over 60 years, and that it has been passed down through generations since the 1960s, when his grandfather migrated to Delhi from Gwalior.
“As a result, much of their identity, faith, history, and sentiments are intertwined with this religious structure,” it added.
According to the petition, the authorities held a meeting to discuss the relocation of the temple since it was obstructing smooth traffic movement in the area.
In its order, the Court stated that “talks for an alternative plot seems to have met a road block.”
