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New Delhi, August 28, 2026: Government records, municipal site plans, photographs, commercial receipts, medical documents and court filings reveal extensive occupation and commercial exploitation of public land in and around Delhi’s Jama Masjid complex by the mosque’s ‘Shahi’ Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari and associated entities, as per two lawsuits filed in different courts.
The illegal structures include:
- a permanent residential structure
- a hospital
- a medical centre
- a paid car-parking operation
- an e-rickshaw charging station
- occupation of three public parks
The documents have been painstakingly obtained by Save India Foundation (SIF), run by well-known legal activist Preet Sirohi, who first placed the material before the competent government authorities in July before taking it to two judicial forums:
1. District & Sessions Court, Central District, Tis Hazari
Save India Foundation & Anr. v. Syed Ahmed Bukhari & Ors.
2. National Green Tribunal, Principal Bench, New Delhi
Save India Foundation v. Deputy Commissioner, City S.P. Zone, MCD & Ors.
Note: The research, preparation and filing of official representations before government authorities, and the subsequent court proceedings in this matter have been undertaken by Preet Sirohi through Save India Foundation, with the work backed by Rashtra Jyoti, run by Sanjeev Newar and Swati Goel Sharma.
The team has previously successfully pursued the illegal encroachment by the Faiz-e-Elahi Mosque complex in the Ramlila Maidan-Turkman Gate area of Delhi through legal intervention, culminating in extensive demolition, among other projects.
Sirohi has sought reliefs including independent demarcation of the occupied land, removal of unauthorised structures, restraint against continued occupation and commercial operation upon government land, restoration of possession to the lawful public authority and rendition of accounts relating to commercial exploitation.
Based on the commercial activities documented at the site, the Foundation, before the District Court, has estimated that a whopping Rs 50 lakh per month is being generated from the illegal private commercial use of the occupied government land.
Below are the details of the encroachments with some pictures submitted to the courts:
I. Encroachments on Khasra No. 153
The first set of court proceedings concerns Khasra No. 153, Inside City Wall, Jama Masjid, Delhi-6.
The MCD layout/site plan and revenue records establish the public ownership status of this land, as per Sirohi’s petition in the district court.
The material shows that Khasra No. 153 is owned by Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
The land is meant for public utility and was never allotted, leased or transferred to the private persons occupying and commercially using it.
Evidence placed before the court shows multiple residential and commercial activities operating from this land, which are listed below:
a) Permanent Residential Structure
A permanent residential structure has been raised upon the land, as per the petition.
Sirohi has sought an independent site inspection and official demarcation so that the precise extent of occupation is established on the ground and recorded by the competent authority.
b) Imam Abdullah Bukhari Hospital
Documents placed before the court identify Imam Abdullah Bukhari Hospital as from: Inside City Wall, Khasra No. 153, opposite Gate No. 9, Meena Bazar, Cotton Market, Jama Masjid, Delhi-110006.
Material associated with the hospital advertises:
– 24-hour emergency services
– blood transfusion
– general surgeries
– normal deliveries
– Caesarean deliveries
– inpatient facilities
Save India Foundation has called upon the competent authorities to verify and place on record the statutory authority under which this hospital is operating, including its registration, building permissions, fire-safety clearance and all other mandatory licences and approvals.
c) Imam Abdullah Bukhari Medical Centre
Documents filed in the proceedings identify Imam Abdullah Bukhari Medical Centre at: Inside City Wall, Khasra No. 153, Gate No. 9, Meena Bazar, Cotton Market, Jama Masjid, Delhi-110006.
Save India Foundation has also placed before the court a medical/retail invoice associated with the centre.
The competent authorities have been called upon to verify the drug licence and complete regulatory status of the establishment, including the authority under which scheduled medicines or other pharmaceutical products are being stored, distributed or sold.
d) Paid Car Parking
A parking receipt placed before the court bears the name: “Car Parking Jama Masjid Delhi Foundation Trust”
The receipt records a charge of Rs 80 for three hours of parking at the site identified with Khasra No. 153.
Save India Foundation has complained that a commercial parking operation is being conducted from public land and fees are being collected from members of the public without lawful municipal authorisation being demonstrated.
e) E-rickshaw Charging Station
The material placed before the court also documents an e-rickshaw charging station operating alongside the parking facility and other structures at the site.
The legal authority for occupation and commercial operation of this facility has also been placed in issue.
See the pictures of the structures on Khasra No. 153 below:
Save India Foundation did not begin with litigation.
On July 8, 2026, the Foundation submitted a detailed representation to the concerned departments of the Delhi Government regarding the occupation and commercialisation of Khasra No. 153 and sought demarcation and enforcement action.
The Foundation subsequently approached the District Court for judicial intervention.
On August 6, 2026, the court took on record, among other material:
– the complaint submitted to the Deputy Commissioner, City S.P. Zone
– the application submitted to the Tehsildar (Nazul), DDA seeking certified ownership records
– requests for the shajra/sizra map and Jamabandi pertaining to Khasra No. 153
– certified material relating to Khasra No. 153 and surrounding areas.
During the same proceedings, notices were issued to concerned public authorities, namely:
– Municipal Corporation of Delhi
– Government of NCT of Delhi
– Delhi Police
– District Magistrate
– Public Works Department
– Directorate General of Health Services
– Delhi Jal Board.
2. Encroachment on Three Public Parks
A separate proceeding concerns Park Nos. 13, 15 and 17 near Shahi Jama Masjid.
Save India Foundation has approached the National Green Tribunal concerning the occupation of these public properties by structures including rented rooms and game zones.
On August 25, 2026, the National Green Tribunal heard the Foundation’s application.
The Foundation placed before the Tribunal an official communication dated August 5, 2026, issued by the Assistant Director, Horticulture, MCD, together with the relevant site plan.
During the hearing, counsel appearing for MCD referred to an earlier Delhi High Court proceeding concerning the issue.
The Tribunal granted four weeks for the relevant material to be placed on record and for clarification regarding the relationship between those proceedings and Park Nos. 13, 15 and 17.
The matter is listed for November 19, 2026.
See some pictures of the encroachments on the parks below:
Remarks by Save India Foundation and Rashtra Jyoti
Save India Foundation and Rashtra Jyoti strongly condemn the brazen occupation and commercial exploitation of public land in the heart of Delhi. Public land, public roads and public parks are not the private property of powerful individuals, religious institutions or their associates.
No person – regardless of political influence or religious stature – can be permitted to appropriate public property and turn it into a source of private commercial gain.
What makes the present case particularly disturbing is the scale and nature of the occupation: residential and commercial structures, a hospital, a medical centre, paid parking, an e-rickshaw charging facility and the occupation of three public parks.
The documentary record placed before the courts raises serious questions about how such extensive occupation and commercial activity could continue on public land.
We condemn the encroachment in the strongest possible terms and call for the principle of equality before law to prevail.
Public property belongs to the public. Its protection cannot depend on the identity, influence or religious position of the person occupying it.
Preet Sirohi, President, Save India Foundation:
“ I condemn the brazen conversion of public property into private commercial real estate. The records before the courts show a disturbing pattern of occupation, construction and commercial activity on land that belongs to the public. The law cannot have one standard for ordinary citizens and another for the powerful.”
Swati Goel Sharma, editor, Rashtra Jyoti
“What is most alarming is not merely the existence of individual structures, but the scale and variety of activities alleged to be operating on public land.”
Sanjeev Newar, founder, Rashtra Jyoti
“Whether the occupant is powerful, influential or politically connected, public land belongs to the public. We fully back this legal fight.”
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