Delhi High Court Has Dismissed A Woman's Petition For Possession Of The Red Fort

Delhi High Court Has Dismissed A Womans Petition For Possession Of The Red Fort
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In her alternative prayer, the woman sought compensation for the alleged illegal occupation of the Red Fort by the Government of India. (File)

Highlights

  • The Delhi High Court on Monday denied a woman's plea asking for the Red Fort to be handed over to her on the grounds that she is the lawful heir of the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar.
  • Sultana, who lives in a slum in Howrah, West Bengal, claims to be the widow of the Mughal emperor's great-grandson Mirza Mohammad Bedar Bakht, who successfully managed to escape Rangoon.

The Delhi High Court on Monday denied a woman's plea asking for the Red Fort to be handed over to her on the grounds that she is the lawful heir of the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. Sultana Begum, 68, requested compensation from the government for the claimed illegal possession in her alternate prayer.

Sultana, who lives in a slum in Howrah, West Bengal, claims to be the widow of the Mughal emperor's great-grandson Mirza Mohammad Bedar Bakht, who successfully managed to escape Rangoon.
According to the petition, the Government of India recognised Bakht as Bahadur Shah II's heir in 1960, and she began getting a pension after the latter's death.

The court has dismissed any arguments regarding the literacy and financial status of the woman. It further states that no comments are made on the linage of the woman to Bahadur Shah Zafar, but expresses its curiosity as to how the woman decided to approach the court.

According to her, the wrongdoing occurred in 1857. Users have addressed the court after 170 years; please explain how you are able to do so. We'll then discuss merits, such as how she owned the Red Fort. The court stated that they need to notify all other persons that they should not be utilising it without authorization, that is what you want to communicate.

The suit alleged that the government of India was an unauthorised occupant of the Red Fort and that the woman had been deprived of her ancestral property without any compensation. The appeal further claimed that when the East India Company exiled Bahadur Shah Zafar, they took over his property without regard for the law or the idea of natural justice.

Justice Palli stated that dismissing the solicitation was a waste of trouble with time and rejecting it on the grounds of devilish detention. She mentioned solely indeed though the supplicant is an illiterate person, there's no reason as to why, if the petitioner's forerunners were incensed by any intervention of the East India Company, no way were taken in this regard at the applicable time or shortly later.

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