Court rejects heir's claim over Red Fort possession

Court rejects heir's claim over Red Fort possession

Recently, the Delhi High Court dismissed the petition that was filed by one Sultana Begum. Her claim is as one Bahadur Shah Zafar's descendant; in all probability, the last Mughal Emperor of India. She claimed she owns the Red Fort which symbolizes a huge heritage symbol and is under the care and jurisdiction of the Government of India. This, obviously represents the legal complication at one level with regard to any such historical claims.Background of the Case Sultana Begum, the wife of the late Mirza Mohammad Bedar Bakht, a pretender to the house of Bahadur Shah Zafar, appeared before the court. She claimed that this property was originally Mughal property fraudulently acquired by the British East India Company after capturing Delhi in the 1857 Revolt. The petition claimed that after India gained independence in 1947, the rightful ownership of the fort should have reverted to the descendants of the Mughals. The petitioner had contended that the seizure of the fort by the British and its subsequent management by the Indian government was a violation of her ancestral rights. She sought directions for the fort to be handed back to her as a legal heir. Court's Observations However, Delhi High Court dismissed the plea because of a series of legal and procedural hurdles. The court went further and commented that claims of historical lineage and ancestral rights cannot be automatically translated into actionable legal rights, especially where the property has remained a public asset for over a century. The court added that the petition was not only bereft of substantive evidence to prove that Sultana Begum was a direct descendant of Bahadur Shah Zafar but also did not establish her locus standi in the case. The bench also stated that the Red Fort is a national monument and its administration is being taken care of by the government. Legal Implications This is because claims to public property must be supported by enforceable rights and credible evidence. The court emphasized the fact that public interest for preserving national monuments is supreme over private claims based on historical grievances. Conclusion This case reminds the fact that although ancient fables are still significant, in the present time it is modern laws and constitutional provisions that govern the legality of ownership of such national treasures as the Red Fort. It has been dismissed from her plea that the court was unbiased in its steps to protect the heritage of the nation with the legal provision.

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