The Hyderabad MP questioned why religious ceremonies associated with the Central Vista redevelopment were acceptable while a longstanding mosque on government property was considered incompatible with the secular character of an administrative complex.
Writing on X, Owaisi referred to the Bhoomi Pooja conducted for the Central Vista project and contrasted it with the government’s position before the Delhi High Court. He said the mosque had stood at the site before 1912, well before Krishi Bhawan was constructed.
“Apparently, secularism is not offended by the use of one faith’s rituals for a public project, but is allergic to a masjid,” Owaisi wrote, questioning the distinction drawn by the Centre. His intervention followed the government’s formal submission that the mosque must be removed to accommodate new secretariat buildings.
The Land and Development Office, functioning under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has told the court that Qadeemi Masjid occupies land required for Common Central Secretariat Buildings 4 and 5 under the Central Vista Redevelopment Master Plan.
The proposed construction covers the existing Krishi Bhawan and Shastri Bhawan sites. The government describes the redevelopment as an important public infrastructure project intended to modernise offices used for national administration.
Its status report argues that government office complexes are dedicated to administrative and public service functions and cannot permanently reserve land for a religious structure. It maintains that retaining the mosque would conflict both with the redevelopment plan and with the secular nature of government property.
The government also disputes the caretaking committee’s claim to continued occupation. It says an agreement executed on November 8, 1940, permitted the managing committee of Jama Masjid to use the premises for worship without transferring ownership or any proprietary interest in the land.
According to the Centre, the site at Plot No. 120 on Dr Rajendra Prasad Road belongs to the government and remains under the administrative control of the Land and Development Office. The mosque’s status as a place of worship, it argues, does not establish a permanent right to occupy the land.
The Centre has further contended that removing the structure would not violate Article 25 of the Constitution, which protects freedom of religion. Its position is that the provision does not guarantee worship at a particular location on government property occupied under a permissive arrangement.
Justice Anish Dayal, hearing the dispute on November 2, asked the government to clarify whether any rule specifically prohibits space for prayers by a religious community within a government complex. The judge directed counsel Nishant Gautam to communicate the question to the Additional Solicitor General.
The High Court has not issued a final determination on the proposed removal. It has allowed the mosque’s caretaking committee time to respond to the government’s submissions and listed the matter for further hearing on November 23.
The committee approached the court fearing demolition during the redevelopment. It has sought protection against removal without proper consideration of whether the mosque can be retained at its present location.
Its petition also seeks a reasonable, nearby and adequate alternative prayer facility if retaining the existing structure proves impossible under the approved construction plans. The committee has maintained that it does not intend to obstruct the wider Central Vista project.
Senior advocate Salman Khurshid, representing the petitioners, previously told the court that the mosque predates the government buildings and has long served Muslim employees working at Krishi Bhawan and neighbouring offices.
The mosque was notified as a waqf property by the Delhi Waqf Board in 1970. The Centre, however, maintains that the notification does not displace the government’s ownership claim or the conditions governing the committee’s occupation.
The government has rejected the demand to reserve space for the mosque within the redeveloped complex. It has identified Shahi Masjid Zabta Ganj near India Gate, within approximately two kilometres of Krishi Bhawan, as an operational alternative for worshippers.
The court proceedings arose after the Central Public Works Department initiated arrangements for the construction of the two secretariat buildings. The redevelopment proposal includes replacement of the existing government office structures on the site. The mosque committee says employees have used the prayer space during working hours for decades.
