New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has dismissed a petition challenging the installation of a Rani of Jhansi statue at Shahi Idgah Park in Sadar Bazar, affirming that the land in question belongs to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), reported The Indian Express.
On September 24, Justice Dharmesh Sharma ruled that the petitioners, represented by the Shahi Idgah (Waqf) Managing Committee, did not possess sufficient legal grounds to oppose the installation. The petition arose after a JCB was brought to the site for excavation on August 29, which the committee alleged was an attempt by the DDA and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to encroach upon the Shahi Idgah park.
The court emphasized that the parks and open grounds within the Idgah’s walls are maintained by the DDA, which has the authority to allocate the land for public use. The ruling stated that claims by the petitioners regarding ownership of the entire property were legally unsustainable.
While concerns were raised about potential law-and-order issues stemming from the statue’s installation, the court noted that it could not interfere with the administrative decisions made by the MCD, which had approved the relocation of the statue to the designated site.
Ultimately, the court concluded that the petitioners had no fundamental right to challenge the DDA’s management of the park or the MCD’s plans for the statue’s installation, allowing the project to proceed.
