The Delhi High Court has deferred the hearing on the Akhondji mosque to February 22nd. Sources have revealed that the adjournment was due to the judge’s absence from the court.
The mosque and Behrul Uloom madrasa were razed to the ground in Mehrauli on January 30 by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), claiming it to be an illegal construction.
Legal Process
The Delhi Waqf Board had lodged a plea challenging the demolition carried out by the DDA. The committee maintained that the demolition had been processed illegally by DDA without completion of the legal process. They also argued that the action was against the order of the High Court on March 23, 2022, where a “survey was directed” to be conducted for the land.
During the hearing on February 5, the petitioner’s counsel, Advocate Sham Khwaja, argued that the mosque stood on the land for almost 600 years. He also questioned the DDA about the demolition being undertaken without any notice and the damage caused to Quranic copies during the process.
In response, Justice Sachin Datta had requested an explanation as to why the demolition was conducted without any prior notice, ordering the DDA to maintain the status quo on the ground until the next hearing, which was today.
The next hearing will be conducted on February 22.
