The Centre has assured the Delhi High Court that it will take no demolition action against the Race Course Masjid for now, while telling the Court that worshippers cannot be allowed inside as demolition work continues in the area.
New Delhi: The Central Government on Thursday assured the Delhi High Court that no demolition action will be taken against the Race Course Masjid, which stands near the Prime Minister’s residence, for the time being, while submitting that no worshipper will be allowed into the mosque in view of the ongoing demolition activity in the area [Syed Ahmed Saud v. Delhi Waqf Board and Others].
The matter was taken up on a petition by a worshipper seeking protection of the mosque against its apprehended demolition. The petition also seeks removal of obstructions to ingress and egress and redressal of the alleged inaction of the Delhi Waqf Board. The Court has not decided the petition, and the contentions below are those of the parties. Notice in the petition was issued on October 27 by Justice Anish Dayal.
How the case reached here
The mosque lies inside the Race Course Club area near 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. A Delhi Administration gazette notification of September 8, 1977 lists the mosque and an attached graveyard as Waqf property, and the petition says it also holds grade-II heritage recognition under a notification of October 1, 2009. Demolition work and the clearing of slum camps in the area began in early October. Electricity and water to the mosque were cut around October 7.
On October 27, when notice was issued, the Centre had told the Court that there were no immediate plans to demolish the mosque and that water and electricity supply had been stopped because of safety concerns while other structures in the vicinity were being demolished. Counsel for the Delhi Waqf Board had said that representations filed with the Land and Development Office (L&DO) and other authorities on October 19 had not yet been decided.
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The contentions
The petitioner contends that demolition is imminent, that obstruction to entry and exit has kept worshippers out, and that the Waqf Board has not performed its statutory duty to protect the property. The Centre’s position, as put to the Court, is that no demolition action is planned against the mosque for now and that access is restricted for reasons connected with the ongoing demolition work nearby. The Court has made no finding on the Waqf or heritage status of the mosque, on a temple said to be located on the premises, or on the safety reasons cited by the Centre.
What is still open
The assurance is a statement made to the Court and is not a ruling on the petition. Questions of access for worshippers, restoration of power and water, and the stand of the Waqf Board remain pending for further hearing.
Case Title: Syed Ahmed Saud v. Delhi Waqf Board and Others
Court: Delhi High Court
Date of Hearing: October 29, 2026 (notice issued October 27, 2026 by Justice Anish Dayal)
Appearances: Central Government Standing Counsel Ashish Dixit for the Centre (October 27); Advocate M. Sufiyan Siddiqui for the petitioner (October 27)