1 week Ago By Shekhar Singh
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Friday rejected Sultana Begum’s plea for possession of Red Fort, citing an unjustifiable delay of over 150 years. Sultana Begum, the widow of the great-grandson of last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar-II, claimed ownership of the historic monument as a legal heir. A bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela dismissed the appeal against a 2021 judgment, pointing out that the delay of two-and-a-half years in filing the plea could not be excused, particularly given the original petition was already decades late.
“We find the said explanation inadequate, considering that the delay is of more than two-and-a-half years. The petition was also dismissed for being inordinately delayed by several decades. The application for condonation of delay is dismissed.
Consequently, the appeal is also dismissed. It is barred by limitation,” the HC said. The case dates back to Sultana Begum’s 2021 petition, in which she argued that Red Fort was seized unlawfully by the East India Company after the First War of Independence in 1857.
She said that her ancestor, Bahadur Shah Zafar-II, was exiled, and the property was taken without consent. She claimed the government was occupying Red Fort illegally and demanded either possession or compensation for the property, including arrears dating back to 1857. In December 2021, a single judge had dismissed her plea, stating there was no plausible justification for approaching the court more than a century after the event.
The HC upheld that decision, saying historical claims, even if valid, can’t bypass legal limitations. The ruling marks the end of Sultana Begum’s prolonged legal effort to reclaim the Red Fort or receive compensation, cementing the monument’s status as government property..
