Delhi HC halts eviction of century-old Waqf graveyard in Civil Lines

Millat Times Desk

11 November 2026 (Publish: 07:05 AM IST)

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The Delhi High Court on Friday stayed the proposed eviction of a century-old Waqf-notified graveyard in the Civil Lines area of the capital and directed authorities to maintain status quo on the premises until the next hearing on March 11, 2027, The Indian Express reported.
The order came in a petition challenging an October 22 notice issued by the Land and Development Office (L&DO), which claimed that the 17-acre property belonged to the Union government.

The Qabristan Bagh Sher Jung premises, located between Ludlow Castle Road and Under Hill Road, house a mosque, shrines and a madrasa. The graveyard is managed by Anjuman Wakil-i-Quam Punjabian, a charitable society that has existed since before 1910, according to media reports.

The October 22 notice directed four people, identified by the authorities as encroachers, to vacate the premises within 15 days. It warned that the government would take forcible possession if they failed to comply.

The four individuals had previously been declared encroachers on a portion of the graveyard land in a civil suit filed by its management in 2018. However, the management has disputed the L&DO’s assertion that the entire 17-acre plot is government property.

The L&DO operates under the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and is responsible for managing government-owned and leasehold properties, particularly in Delhi.

The dispute over ownership dates back several decades. The graveyard was notified as Waqf property in 1970. The following year, the Union government filed a civil suit claiming ownership, arguing that it had acquired several properties in Delhi between 1911 and 1915 during the development of the capital. The graveyard was among the properties covered by the government’s claim.

In 1985, a district court ruled that the Union government had failed to establish ownership because it had not completed the prescribed land acquisition process. The graveyard’s management has said that the ruling was never challenged.

The latest notice comes amid a wider government drive involving evictions and demolition threats in Lutyens’ Delhi.

A heritage mosque near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official residence and nearby slum settlements have also faced the threat of demolition. The government has additionally taken possession of the Delhi Race Club and Jaipur Polo Ground, according to media reports.

On October 29, the Delhi High Court deferred the proposed demolition of the heritage mosque for four weeks after the authorities assured the court that they would not take coercive action against the structure during that period.