The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought a response from the Delhi Waqf Board (DWB), the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), and the Delhi Police in a petition filed by the management committee of Masjid Parao Wali in Shahdara, alleging illegal sale of Waqf property by a tenant.
The DWB and MCD orally assured Justice Tara Vitasta Ganju that they will take necessary action against the alleged unauthorised sale.
The court will now hear the matter next on May 14. The authorities are expected to file their response to the petition by then.
The management committee of the mosque, represented by advocate Wajeeh Shafiq, told HC that DWB and Shahdara police had failed to take action against the illegal sale as well as unauthorised construction over a gazette-notified Waqf property despite it being brought to their attention in January by way of representation and personal meeting.
The sale purportedly took place while a suit was pending over the property before the Waqf Tribunal. The property was under the tenancy of a mother and son, Manjeet Kaur and Bhavneet Singh, who sold it to one Urmila Devi. The property is a shop, forming part of the larger Waqf property, which is under the management and control of the managing committee of the mosque.
“On the date of the impugned illegal transfer of the Waqf property under reference, there were provisions in the Waqf Act, 1995, which prohibited alienation of the Waqf property, and at the relevant time, alienation of Waqf property was a cognizable and non-bailable offence. Significantly, per Section 52A of the Waqf Act, 1995, the court can only take cognizance on the complaint of the concerned Waqf Board or by an officer duly authorised by the state government to that extent, the said provision is unaffected by the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025,” the committee has argued.
After executing a registered sale deed in June 2024, on January 13, the petitioner said, “All of a sudden, the demolition of the shop in question was noticed by the petitioners… it was learnt that the Waqf property in question has been sold by… Bhawneet Singh and his mother in two parts through two registered sale deeds…” The petitioner has highlighted that the authorities have not taken any action to date and “construction at the subject property is continuing unabated”.
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The petitioner is seeking the court’s direction to take action under the Waqf Act against the seller and purchasers, to direct the DWB to take action against the encroacher, as well as to direct MCD to seal and demolish the illegal construction.
Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court
Professional Profile
Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express.
Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare).
Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others.
She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020.
With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles:
High-Profile Case Coverage
She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy.
Signature Style
Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system.
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