Demolish mosque, but allocate another plot where Muslims can pray, says caretaker of Faizyab Masjid in Sarai Kale Khan

Ahead of the demolition of the Faizyab Masjid in Sarai Kale Khan, its caretaker Deen Mohammed said on Wednesday that he wants the court to allot an alternative plot of land where local Muslims can pray.

In the first week of April, Mr. Mohammed said learned from the Waqf Board that the over fifty-year-old mosque and its adjoining madrasa was to be razed as the land it was built on belonged to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). The religious committee had given its go-ahead to the decision, he said.

“We had not received any notice from any authority regarding the demolition of the mosque. We always thought it was a Waqf Board property,” he said.

As per sources, DDA officials, when presenting their case before the Waqf Board, said the “unauthorised religious structure” exists on DDA land handed over to it in 1996, and was “urgently required for the redevelopment of the area”.

“When representatives of the mosque were not allowed to present their case before the religious committee, we moved the high court, where we requested for at least a month’s time to vacate the premises,” said Kamlesh Kumar Mishra, a member of the legal team representing the Faizyab Masjid.

On 12 June, a Vacation Bench of the Delhi High Court had ordered the DDA to give the caretaker time until July 10 to vacate the mosque, after which it would be demolished.

“I am not against the development of spaces that serve the public. I will vacate the mosque, but all I want is for the court to at least give us an alternative plot where locals can pray and children can study,” said Mr. Mohammed, adding that at least 30 students attend the madrasa daily.