A man claimed that the Qutub Minar was built on his ancestral land. The judge denies his request.

• Image Credit: Internet

• Sep 20, 2022 | Sourav Boruah

 Digital
Desk: A Delhi court has rejected an application by a man who claimed that the
land on which the Qutub Minar complex stands was his ancestral property,
clearing the way for the court to resume hearing the petitions seeking the
restoration of Hindu and Jains' right to worship at the Quwwat-Ul-Islam mosque.

The
arguments in the main suit will begin on October 19, according to Additional
District Judge Dinesh Kumar.

Mahendra Dhawaj Prasad Singh filed
an application claiming to be the heir of the ruler of the United Province of
Agra and claiming ownership of the land on which the mosque stands.

Singh stated in his application that
he is the heir of Raja Rohini Raman Dhawaj Prasad Singh, who died in 1950. He
claimed that the Besean family descended from Raja Nand Ram, who died in 1695.

He claimed that the Beswan Avibajya
Rajya Beswan Estate, Hathras Estate, Musran Estate, and Brindaban Estate from
the Mahabharata Period, which included areas between the Ganga and Yamuna
rivers in Meerut, Agra, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, and Gurugram, had been inherited
for generations from 1873 to 1950. According to the petition, this also meant
that his family controlled the entire territory of the United Province of Agra.

During the hearing, the
Archeological Survey of India (ASI) dismissed the application and asked the
judge to fine the man for wasting the court's time, claiming it was a publicity
stunt.

ASI has also objected to the
original request for the revival of worship, stating that the 12th-century
monument, which is also a World Heritage Site, was not a place for prayers and
cannot be revived as one under the law. It also emphasised that no community
has worshipped at Qutub Minar or anywhere else within the complex since it was
designated a protected monument in 1914.

Advocates Hari Shankar Jain and Ranjana Agnihotri filed a
petition on behalf of Jain Tirthankar Rishabh Dev and Hindu god Vishnu. The
petition cited a short history purportedly displayed by ASI, which narrates how
27 temples were demolished and the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque was raised by reusing
the material.