A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar dismissed the petition as “misconceived” and “meritless” at the very outset.
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the petition of a woman, who claimed to be the widow of the great-grandson of Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar II, seeking the possession of Delhi’s Red Fort on account of being the legal “heir”.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar dismissed the petition as “misconceived” and “meritless” at the very outset, refusing to entertain the plea challenging the Delhi High Court’s order.
“The writ petition filed initially was misconceived and meritless. It cannot be entertained,” said the CJI.
The bench also declined to allow the counsel for petitioner Sultana Begum to withdraw the plea.
“The petitioner is a family member of the first freedom fighter of the country,” the counsel stated. In response, the CJI remarked, “If the arguments are considered, then why only the Red Fort, then why not forts at Agra, Fatehpuri Sikri, etc.”
Mughal family wrongfully deprived: Petition claims
Sultana Begum, in her plea, claimed that the Mughal family was wrongfully deprived of their property by the British after the First War of Independence in 1857, which led to the exile of Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar and the forcible takeover of the Red Fort by the British.
It further claimed that Sultana Begum is the rightful owner of the Red Fort, having inherited it from her ancestor, Bahadur Shah Zafar-II, who passed away on November 11, 1862, at the age of 82. According to the petition, the government of India was an illegal occupant of the property.
The plea requested the court to direct the Centre to either return possession of the Red Fort to the petitioner or provide appropriate compensation.