E-Paper
Tear gas, bulldozers as MCD carries out late-night demolition drive near Delhi's Faiz-e-Elahi mosque
A video shared among residents’ groups from the area showed bulldozers and earth-movers demolishing portions of the century-old mosque.
A late-night demolition drive was carried out by the municipal corporation of Delhi (MCD) at an encroached site near Faiz-e-Elahi Masjid, close to Turkman Gate, in the national capital on Wednesday. The drive came after a Delhi high court order on Tuesday, seeking responses from the ministry of urban development, the MCD and the Delhi Waqf Board in the matter.
The high court said the “matter requires consideration” and directed the authorities to submit their replies to the plea within four weeks. The case has been listed for further hearing on April 22. Track latest updated from Delhi demolition drive here
The demolition drive
A video shared among residents’ groups from the area showed bulldozers and earth-movers demolishing portions of the century-old mosque, while police personnel were deployed at the site, as mentioned in an earlier HT report.
Other videos showed police firing what appeared to be tear gas shells, while groups of people were seen throwing stones at security personnel moving through the area. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos.
A Delhi police officer told HT that at least five police personnel were injured in the incident. “Stones were pelted at the police at night. We used minimal force to push back. Apart from that, the overall process was very smooth… As soon as we get the CCTV camera footage, ground footage and body camera footage, we will identify the miscreants and take legal action,” DCP Nidhin Valsan told ANI.
What is the case?
In the petition filed by the managing committee of the Masjid Syed Faiz Elahi, they have challenged the December 22, 2025 order of the MCD, which declares that all structures beyond 0.195 acres of land were liable to be demolished and that no documents had been submitted to prove ownership or lawful possession of the land by the mosque’s managing committee or the Delhi Waqf Board. The 0.195-acre land houses the mosque.
The MCD’s decision came after a November 12, 2025 order of a division bench of the high court that granted three months to the civic body and the PWD to remove 38,940 square feet of encroachments at Ramlila Ground near Turkman Gate. The encroachments covered portions of a road, a footpath, a “baraat ghar”, a parking area and a private diagnostic centre.
The high court passed the order while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Save India Foundation, an organisation represented by advocate Umesh Chandra Sharma.
In October 2025, authorities conducted a joint survey, which recorded the presence of encroachments on the land. Some portions were found to belong to public authorities.
After issuing the notice, officials of the MCD visited the site on January 4 to mark the encroached areas. They faced resistance from local residents, which led to the deployment of additional police.
While urging for the MCD order to be set aside, the managing committee said the property was under its use and that it was paying lease rent to the Delhi Waqf Board.
The petition says that the land has been notified as waqf property under the Waqf Act and that only the Waqf Tribunal has the authority to hear and decide disputes concerning it. Counsel for the petitioner said the committee’s only grievance relates to the graveyard functioning on the land.
With inputs from agencies
