New Delhi: Delhi High Court has sought the stand of Centre, New Delhi Municipal Council and Delhi Waqf Board on a plea seeking preservation of Qadeemi Masjid facing demolition. The mosque is situated inside the Krishi Bhavan complex, which is going to be redeveloped under the Central Vista project.In a recent order, the court issued notice to authorities on a petition filed by Qadeemi Masjid through its caretaking committee and directed the respondents to file their response/status report in four weeks. The matter has been listed for Nov 2.Senior advocate Salman Khurshid, appearing for the petitioners, clarified that they were not seeking to stall the redevelopment of Krishi Bhavan and Shastri Bhavan or the construction of Common Secretariat Buildings under the Central Vista project.Khurshid submitted that the mosque had been serving as a prayer facility for govt employees and others working in surrounding govt offices for several decades. The prayer is confined to the fate of the mosque, and the impact of its proposed dismantling on people using it as a place of prayer, he submitted.The petitioners argued that govt must consider retaining the mosque at its existing location and that, alternatively, a reasonable, proximate and adequate prayer facility be provided.Khurshid also contended that the structure was more than a century old and predated the establishment of the current govt complex, with its existence stated to be documented in historical records dating back to 1945. The petition stated that Delhi Waqf Board notified the property as a waqf property in 1970 and recorded its antiquity.The court recorded that the petitioners were seeking a reasonable and proximate arrangement ensuring continuity of the prayer facility, referring to Article 25 of the Constitution.
