Declaring Delhi’s Jama Masjid protected monument will have a substantial impact, ASI tells HC.
On Wednesday, New Delhi, The Archaeological Survey of India told the Delhi High Court that declaring the historic Jama Masjid a “protected monument” would have a “substantial impact,” and no steps have been taken so far.
In an affidavit filed in response to the PILs, the ASI said that once a monument is declared a protected monument, certain regulations and prohibitions in the area around it come into force.
It further added that although the Mughal-era Jama Masjid is presently under the protection and guardianship of the Delhi Waqf Board, the ASI has been undertaking conservation and preservation work there.
A bench headed by Justice Prathiba M Singh orally said it was not inclined to declare Jama Masjid a “protected monument” in view of the ASI’s stand and ordered the petitioners to file their notes on the steps that should be taken to protect the historic structure.
“They are saying there is a hesitation. There is an impact of declaring it a protected monument,” the court noted.
The bench, which also includes Justice Amit Sharma, nevertheless added that it would look into streamlining the mosque’s administration.
The high court was hearing PILs that sought directions to authorities to declare the Jama Masjid a protected monument and remove all encroachments in and around it.
In the PILs filed by Suhail Ahmed Khan and Ajay Gautam in 2014, objections were made against the usage of the title ‘Shahi Imam’ by the Jama Masjid’s Imam Maulana Syed Ahmed Bukhari and against his son’s appointment as the Naib Imam.
