A dispute over the reported eviction notice served to the more than 100-year-old Race Course Mosque near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official residence has brought Delhi’s overlapping land, heritage and religious-property authorities into conflict.
According to a report by Millennium Post – Delhi, mosque imam Mohammed Harun said local authorities instructed him to vacate the premises within six days. He also alleged that electricity and water connections had been disconnected, the gates locked and security personnel deployed, restricting worshippers from offering prayers.
A public notice displayed at the site by the Land and Development Office (L&DO) identifies the land as central government property. The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has been named as the executing agency. The notice warns that unauthorised occupation, encroachment or construction on the two-bigha premises would constitute a legal offence and could invite punitive action.
The dispute centres on the legal status of the land and the protections applicable to the structure. Community representatives and legal advocates cited records stating that the two-bigha property, which includes the mosque and an adjoining graveyard behind Safdarjung Tomb, was notified as Waqf property under Entry No. 18 in the Delhi Administration’s Gazette dated September 8, 1977.
The mosque was also designated a protected heritage site by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) through an official notification dated October 1, 2009, the report said. Harun, who has been associated with the mosque for nearly four decades, said a 2021 survey had not classified the structure as an encroachment.
The competing designations highlight the administrative complexity around old religious structures and public land in central Delhi. The L&DO’s notice asserts central government ownership, while the cited Gazette entry and NDMC notification are being relied upon by the mosque’s representatives to seek protection from eviction and any action affecting the heritage structure.
The matter has also drawn political intervention. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi urged Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju to intervene and criticised the Delhi Waqf Board for allegedly failing to challenge the eviction order in court despite its statutory responsibilities. AAP leader Amanatullah Khan said Delhi Waqf Board officials had assured him that the mosque remained safe on registered Waqf land.
Delhi Police denied reports of demolition action affecting religious structures in the area, while acknowledging recent judicial directions concerning the relocation of nearby slum clusters. The police position, as reported, distinguishes the mosque dispute from those directions.
Following the public reaction, the Delhi Waqf Board petitioned the L&DO seeking protection for the heritage site and restoration of essential utility connections. The next formal steps will depend on the L&DO’s response to the Board’s petition and any legal proceedings concerning the competing claims over the property.
