After Race Course mosque, Centre seeks removal of Kadimi Masjid in Delhi

Millat Times Desk

04 November 2026 (Publish: 12:25 PM IST)

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The Centre has informed the Delhi High Court that Kadimi Masjid, located inside the Krishi Bhawan complex in Central Delhi, needs to be removed to make way for the construction of two new government office buildings under the Central Vista redevelopment project.

In a status report filed before the high court, the Centre, through the Land and Development Office (L&DO), said the mosque stands on government-owned land required for the construction of Common Central Secretariat Buildings 4 and 5. 

According to the government, the structure falls within the designated project site, and its removal is necessary to complete the proposed construction.

The Centre also argued that retaining the mosque inside the government office complex is “impermissible and incompatible with the secular character of government property”.

The submission was made in response to a petition filed by the committee managing Kadimi Masjid. The L&DO stated that the mosque is situated on Plot No. 120 on Dr Rajendra Prasad Road, which falls under the administrative control of the Government of India.

Disputing the mosque management committee’s claim to ownership, the Centre said the committee was allowed to occupy the site under an agreement dating back to 1940. However, it maintained that the agreement did not grant the committee any ownership rights over the land.

The development comes as the government moves ahead with plans to replace the existing Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan with new Common Central Secretariat buildings as part of the Central Vista redevelopment project. 

The government has described the construction as a “public project of immense national importance”.

Earlier, the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) had directed that the two existing buildings be vacated by September 30. 

In a letter dated September 16, the department stated that construction contracts for Kartavya Bhawan 4 and Kartavya Bhawan 5 had been awarded on Plot No. 120, where the existing buildings are located.

The Centre’s latest submission has brought the future of Kadimi Masjid into focus, with the government maintaining that the land is required for the redevelopment project.

The case is the latest instance of a mosque located within the Central Government’s redevelopment zone facing questions over its continued presence as the government pursues its infrastructure plans.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs was also asked to respond to the matter, but no reply was furnished.