The six-day notice issued by the Land and Development Office has prompted concerns over the mosque’s future
NEW DELHI — The Delhi Waqf Board’s inaction, as the sword of Damocles hangs over the historic Race Course Road Mosque near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official residence in the national capital, has come into sharp focus. Imam Muhammad Haroon and other political leaders have questioned the board’s role in protecting the mosque, whose electricity and water supply have been disconnected and whose access has been blocked.
The Land and Development Office [L&DO] issued a six-day notice declaring the mosque premises unauthorised, prompting Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, and Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq to seek government intervention and question the handling of the dispute.
The mosque was reportedly served the notice on October 19. The L&DO maintains that the premises stand on government land, while the mosque’s representatives and Muslim organisations have cited official heritage records and the site’s reported Waqf status to seek protection.
The mosque is listed among heritage buildings on the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) website. Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has also cited the 1977 Delhi Gazette and a revised list maintained by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs as evidence of the site’s recorded status.
The competing claims have raised questions about the legal status of the land, the significance of the heritage and Waqf records, and whether eviction or demolition should proceed before the dispute is fully examined.
On Monday, a Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind delegation met Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju and urged him to intervene to protect the Race Course Mosque and its adjoining graveyard.
AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi also called for urgent intervention by Rijiju, directing particular criticism at the Delhi Waqf Board for its failure to challenge the action against the mosque.
In a statement posted on X, Owaisi questioned why the Board had not challenged the reported demolition-related action or taken effective steps to resolve the dispute, despite the mosque’s reported inclusion in Waqf records dating back to 1977.
Imam Haroon said he had repeatedly sought assistance from the Waqf Board on the issue and claimed he was not allowed to pursue legal proceedings himself. Owaisi’s criticism also focuses on the Board’s institutional response to the reported eviction and demolition action.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Kashmir’s chief cleric and a senior leader of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, has also expressed concern over the eviction notice, questioning whether Muslim religious endowments are receiving adequate protection.
In a post on X, Mirwaiz described the reported notice as “deeply disturbing” and referred to the mosque’s status as a gazetted Waqf property since 1977 and as a listed heritage site.
“Equally alarming is the reported failure of the Waqf authorities to defend it. Is this becoming the new normal for Muslim places of worship?” he wrote.
Mosque predates Independence: Amanatullah Khan
Aam Aadmi Party leader Amanatullah Khan, a former chairman of the Delhi Waqf Board, has also raised concerns about the reported action against the mosque.
According to The New Indian Express, Khan said the mosque predated Independence and was included in the NDMC’s heritage list.
“The mosque predates Independence and is also on the NDMC’s heritage list”, Khan said in a video cited by the newspaper.
His remarks have added to calls for the authorities to examine the mosque’s documentary status and explain the basis for the proposed eviction.
Khan’s intervention, like those of the mosque’s imam and Muslim organisations, centres on the relationship between the heritage listing and the L&DO’s position that the premises are unauthorised.
The mosque’s supporters are asking the authorities to explain how a property listed in official heritage records came to be served with a notice to vacate and what legal process would apply before any demolition could take place.
Documented History
The documentary history of the Race Course Mosque has become central to the competing claims.
The NDMC lists the mosque among heritage buildings on its website. Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has cited the 1977 Delhi Gazette and a revised list maintained by the Ministry of Minority Affairs as further evidence of the site’s recorded status.
The organisation says the mosque appears at serial number 18 in the 1977 Gazette and at serial number 22 in the NDMC heritage list. It has also pointed to the mosque’s inclusion, with a property identification number, in the ministry’s revised list.
These records are being cited by the mosque’s supporters to argue that its status requires careful examination before the authorities proceed with eviction or demolition.
The L&DO’s reported position differs. It maintains that the premises stand on government land and has classified them as unauthorised. The mosque’s representatives, meanwhile, describe the site as a Waqf property and a recognised heritage building.
A heritage listing does not, by itself, settle every question about ownership, possession or the right to occupy a particular plot. Equally, the L&DO’s classification of the premises as unauthorised does not, on its own, establish that the claims made by the mosque’s representatives about its recorded status are incorrect.
The records, the basis for the L&DO’s notice and any applicable legal orders would need to be examined together to establish the property’s legal position.
Jamiat has requested reports from the Delhi Waqf Board and the NDMC. Such an examination would help clarify what the official records say about the mosque and its adjoining graveyard and how those records relate to the L&DO’s position.
Imam Haroon’s Claim
Imam Haroon has accused the Delhi Waqf Board of failing to provide effective assistance despite repeated requests over the past six months.
In a video statement reported by The Hindustan Gazette, Haroon said he had repeatedly approached the board’s chief executive officer but had not received a satisfactory response.
He alleged that the board had written to the NDMC about the disconnection of electricity and water but had taken no effective steps to resolve the wider dispute.
“I repeatedly requested the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Waqf Board, but no attention was paid to my complaint. Now even the drinking water has run out. The access route to the mosque has been closed, so bringing water from elsewhere is also impossible. This situation has made visiting the mosque extremely difficult,” he said.
Haroon’s account describes the practical consequences of the dispute for people using the mosque. The reported disconnection of water and electricity, coupled with restrictions on access, has raised concerns about whether worshippers can continue to use the site while the land dispute remains unresolved.
The imam said he had urged the Waqf Board to approach the court. When that did not happen, he said, he sought permission to pursue legal action himself.
Haroon has maintained that the mosque is a legally recognised heritage property. He cited the 2021 survey, saying it had not classified the site as unauthorised or as an encroachment.
Appealing for support to save the mosque, Haroon said: “I request my well-wishers and justice-loving people to make efforts to save this mosque. I have made every possible effort on my part, but I am deeply disappointed that the Waqf Board, which has the legal authority to deal with such matters, is not standing with me and this mosque.”
His account has added a personal dimension to the dispute. Beyond the question of land ownership and classification, the imam says the institution responsible for safeguarding Waqf properties has not provided the assistance he sought as the mosque faces a deadline to vacate.
