Waqf Board failed to act, Owaisi seeks Rijiju's help to save mosque near PM's house

Asaduddin Owaisi has sought Minority Affairs minister Kiren Rijiju's urgent intervention in the Race Course Masjid case, questioning the Delhi Waqf Board's failure to challenge the demolition order. The L&DO has issued an eviction notice for the 125-year-old mosque near the Prime Minister's residence, while the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has sought protection pending resolution of the legal dispute.

In Short

• Questions Delhi Waqf Board's inaction despite mosque's waqf status since 1977
• Demolition notice issued by Land and Development Office on government land claim
• Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind seeks protection and deferral of demolition amid legal dispute

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has sought Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju’s urgent intervention in the Race Course Masjid case in New Delhi, questioning why the Delhi Waqf Board failed to challenge the demolition order despite the mosque being a gazetted waqf property since 1977.

In a post on X, Owaisi said the mosque was protected under the Waqf Amendment Act as “waqf by user,” adding that properties registered in the past continued to enjoy protection under the law.

“Despite the masjid being a gazetted waqf property since 1977, the waqf board did not challenge the demolition order. Neither did it make any effort to resolve the issue,” Owaisi said.

He also questioned the absence of intervention by the board’s chief executive officer, noting that the Delhi Waqf Board had not been constituted since 2023.

“It’s the Minister’s job to resolve the matter, since the Delhi Waqf Board hasn’t been constituted since 2023, but the CEO of the Board could have intervened. That also did not happen,” he said.

The intervention sought by Owaisi comes amid a dispute over a more than century-old historic mosque near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official residence in New Delhi.

The Land and Development Office (L&DO) reportedly issued an eviction notice on October 19, describing the premises as “unauthorised” and directing that the site be vacated within six days.

The L&DO maintains that the mosque stands on government land, while the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has sought protection for the mosque and its adjoining graveyard, urging the authorities not to proceed with demolition until the legal dispute is resolved.

Mohammad Hakimuddin Qasmi, who represented a Jamiat delegation, reportedly submitted a memorandum stating that the site features on the New Delhi Municipal Council’s (NDMC) heritage list cited in the 1977 Delhi Gazette. The memorandum also said it appears on a revised list maintained by the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

The Jamiat has sought reports from the Delhi Waqf Board and the NDMC and urged the authorities to defer demolition-related action while the matter remains under legal dispute. Rijiju reportedly heard the delegation’s plea and assured it that he would make “every possible effort” in the matter.

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