Check if mosque built on school’s land: Delhi high court

An NGO said that the authorities, despite common knowledge, had failed to act with regards to the alleged encroachment

The Delhi high court on Wednesday directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to check whether a mosque and shops have encroached upon a school’s land in Wazirpur area, northwest Delhi, and ensure safety of students.

The court directed MCD to treat the petition as a representation, and take steps for addressing the grievances. (HT Archive)

Dealing with a petition filed by a non-governmental organisation Save India Foundation, a bench of chief justice DK Upadhyay and justice Tushar Rao Gedela directed MCD to treat the petition as a representation, and take steps for addressing the grievances raised by conducting a survey to assess the existence of illegal construction pertaining to the religious structure and illegal shops.

In the petition, the NGO had asserted that the authorities, despite common knowledge, had failed to act with regards to the alleged encroachment by the mosque and several shops on the school’s land and protect the same.

This was after MCD’s counsel submitted that the religious structure existed before the school’s inception. It also said that the NGO should have approached the religious committee constituted under the orders of the Supreme Court in September 2009.