Delhi: Heritage mosque near PM Modi’s official residence receives eviction notice

A heritage mosque near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official residence in Delhi was on Monday issued an eviction notice stating that the structure stands on government land and is “unauthorised”, The Tribune reported.

The Race Course mosque is listed as a heritage property on the New Delhi Municipal Council’s website.

The Land and Development Office has directed the mosque authorities to vacate the premises within six days.

The office functions under the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and is responsible for managing government-owned and leasehold properties, particularly in Delhi.

Representatives of the mosque said that its electricity and water supplies had also been disconnected, the newspaper reported.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen MP Asaduddin Owaisi has sought intervention of Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, saying the mosque was a “gazetted waqf property” since 1977.

He argued that the mosque was protected under the Waqf Amendment Act as “waqf by user” – a term used for property that has been treated as a waqf on the basis of its long-standing use for religious purposes. Owaisi said properties that had been registered as waqf in the past continue to be protected under the amended law.

A waqf is an endowment under Islamic law dedicated to a religious, educational or charitable cause. Each state has a waqf board led by a legal entity vested with...

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