CENTRE DEFENDS MOSQUE REMOVAL AT KRISHI BHAWAN, PLACES CENTRAL VISTA REDEVELOPMENT ABOVE RELIGIOUS RETENTION

November 3, 2026

The Centre has told the Delhi High Court that the more than century-old Qadeemi Masjid, situated within the premises of Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi, must be removed to facilitate the Central Vista redevelopment project. In an affidavit submitted before the court, the government argued that retaining a permanent religious structure inside a central government office complex would be incompatible with the secular character of government property.

The affidavit, filed by the Land and Development Office under the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, stated that the redevelopment plan includes the reconstruction of Common Central Secretariat Buildings 4 and 5, covering the existing sites of Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan. According to the Centre, the mosque stands within the designated project area and its removal is necessary for executing the planned public infrastructure project.

Responding to a petition filed by the mosque's caretakers, the government maintained that the land belongs to the Centre and that an agreement signed in November 1940 granted the mosque's managing committee only permissive possession for religious use, without transferring ownership or any legal title to the land. It further argued that Article 25 of the Constitution does not provide an enforceable right to continue worship at a particular location on government-owned premises under such an arrangement.

The Centre also informed the court that Shahi Masjid Zabta Ganj near India Gate, situated within approximately two kilometres of Krishi Bhawan, remains available as an alternative prayer facility. The mosque's caretakers, however, have approached the court seeking protection against demolition without fair and transparent consideration of its continued retention. Their counsel has clarified that they are not seeking to obstruct the redevelopment project but want a prayer facility accommodated within the proposed new government buildings, pointing out that the mosque has served government employees and people working in the surrounding offices for decades.

The matter is scheduled for its next hearing on November 23 before the Delhi High Court. The dispute brings the future of a historic religious structure into the legal debate surrounding the Centre's ambitious Central Vista redevelopment programme.