In a major victory for Project Bhoomi by Sewa Nyaya Utthan Foundation, the Delhi High Court has ordered the demolition of over 85% of an existing mosque-graveyard-banquet hall-diagnostic centre complex at prime public land at Ramlila Maidan, Asaf Ali Road near Turkman Gate, New Delhi.
A bench comprising Delhi High Court Chief Justice DK Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela passed the order on Wednesday (12 November) while hearing a petition by Save India Foundation, led by civic activist Preet Singh (who also goes by name Preet Sirohi).
The order comes just two weeks after Rashtra Jyoti exclusively reported the findings of a joint government survey revealing unauthorised communal construction and commercial use of the land by members of a specific religious community even though the land was originally reserved for civic purposes.
The survey had found encroachment on nearly 39,000 sq feet out of 45,000 sq ft of which the walled complex stands. Ownership of the remaining 7,000 sq ft could not be ascertained by the survey team and hence no demolition orders were given by the court regarding this patch.
What the petition asked
The public interest litigation sought urgent directions for the removal of large-scale communal encroachments and commercial misuse of government land at Ramlila Ground.
The petition named the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Public Works Department (PWD), Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Land & Development Office (L&DO), Delhi Police, and Special Task Force (STF) as respondents.
It cited their persistent inaction in allowing the land, which is officially reserved for public and civic use as per the 1958 plan, to be grabbed by private interests under the guise of religious and charitable activity.
It said that the petitioner first complained about this encroachment to the Special Task Force in May 2025 (Ref. ID: SNS2025052411).
Subsequently, several government departments carried out a joint survey in October, after postponing it several times. The survey report, released on 16 October 2025, stated encroachments on at least 38,940 sq ft.
The report, signed by eight senior officials, classified the encroachments into three zones:
- 36,428 sq ft of MCD land is occupied by commercial entities such as a baraat ghar, private diagnostic centre and vehicle parking.
- 2512 sq ft of PWD land is encroached upon by the same complex.
- 7,343 sq ft is housing a large mosque and graveyard complex identified as Faizal Shah Qabristan. The ownership of the land is not clear. What is known is that L&DO never gave the land to MCD.
The petition stated that despite the departments’ own admission of encroachment, no removal drive had yet been carried out, prompting the petitioner to approach the Court.
The plea requested the Court to direct the respondents to remove all illegal communal and commercial structures from the said land, order a court-monitored investigation into the role of officials allegedly colluding with the encroachers, and recover misuse and penal charges from parties running commercial activities on public land.
“As per the Register of Immovable Property (1958), 38,940 sq ft land was transferred by the L&DO to MCD for public use at a nominal lease of ₹1 per annum. Only a small portion was officially marked as a graveyard. But today, one acre of the land around it has been stolen,” Sirohi told Rashtra Jyoti.
What the Court Ordered
The court directed MCD and PWD to carry out the removal of encroachments and illegal commercial activities within three months, while ensuring due process for affected parties. The bench noted:
“As regards the encroachment on the PWD road and footpath, we direct that appropriate action shall be initiated by the PWD to ensure that the road and the footpath are made clear of any encroachments. As regards the land belonging to MCD where encroachment as well as illegal running of barat-ghar and other commercial activity such as parking and private diagnostic centers have been found in the joint inspection report, we direct that appropriate action for removal of such encroachment as also removal of illegal commercial activity as mentioned in the JSR shall be taken by the MCD and the same shall be concluded expeditiously”
On the 7,343 sq ft area housing the mosque and graveyard, the court refrained from issuing specific demolition orders, stating that the ownership of this land is still disputed.
“So far as the existence of the Mosque and Kabristan is concerned, the said land belongs to L&DO and accordingly, it is for the L&DO officials to protect the said property. It appears there is a dispute regarding the said land between the MCD and L&DO, which shall be sorted out amongst the officials of the said departments.”
Excerpts from the court order:
National Security Concerns
Notably, this mosque – named Faiz-e-Ilahi masjid – is the same one that was visited by the recently arrested terrorist Dr Umer un Nabi shortly before a planned terror attack at Red Fort that instantly killed 12 people, and hence the mosque committee members are being questioned by security agencies – raising serious questions around such encroachments.
What Next
Reacting to the order, Swati Goel Sharma, co-founder of Sewa Nyaya Utthan Foundation, said, “While this High Court order is a major legal milestone, we anticipate attempts by the Waqf Board to intervene, a possible stay plea in the Supreme Court, and disinformation campaigns by sections of the media sympathetic to illegal encroachments.”
About Project Bhoomi
Project Bhoomi is an initiative by Sewa Nyaya Utthan Foundation to reclaim encroached land. The Ramlila Maidan project, executed by Save India Foundation, is backed by Sewa Nyaya Utthan.
Sewa Nyaya Utthan is run by Swati Goel Sharma and Sanjeev Newar.
To support Project Bhoomi: sewanyaya.in/project-bhoomi.
Other media coverage of the issue
The Times of India
Hindustan Times: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/delhi-news/delhi-hc-gives-3-months-to-mcd-pwd-to-clear-ramlila-ground-encroachments-101763147903627.html
