[Qutub Minar case] Man moves Delhi court claiming all land between Ganga and Yamuna from Agra to Gurugram

The case before a Delhi court seeking restoration of Hindu and Jain temples at the Qutub Minar complex in the national capital took an interesting turn on Thursday after a fresh plea was filed by one Kunwar Mahender Dhawaj Prasad Singh claiming that not only Qutub Minar and Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque but the entire area between rivers Ganga and Yamuna from Agra to Gurgaon (Gurugram) belongs to him..The plea was filed as an application in the pending suit before an additional district judge at Saket court who has been seized of appeals by a group of people seeking prayer rights inside Qutub complex.The suit was listed for judgment today but since Prasad move his application, the judgment was deferred and the application will be heard before the Court decides the matter.The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as well as the the appellants opposed the application, however judge Dinesh Kumar asked them to file their response.The application by Singh stated that the case related to prayer rights for Hindus and Jains inside the Qutub Minar complex cannot be decided without hearing him because the land on which the Minar complex rests has belonged to his family since Mughal times. .In his application, Singh has claimed that he comes from Beswan family and trace his lineage to Raja Nand Ram of Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh district. They submitted to emperor Aurangzeb when he became firmly established on the throne and was, therefore, awarded Zamindari rights, the application stated.These lands continued to be inherited by his family through Sanads (charter/patent or deed) issued by the Mughals and later British.The application argued that even as the country gained independence and efforts were made to unite various princely states, no accession or merger agreement came to be signed between “Beswan Avibhajya Rajya of Beswan family”..Till date no compensation has been paid to the family or any acquisition made of these lands therefore it continues to be a princely state, the application said.The application said that the properties continued to belong to Raja Rohini Raman Dhawaj Prasad Singh till his death in 1950 and after that it was equally divided between his four sons. Three of them have died since then and only the applicant now survives, it was submitted..Delhi court defers verdict in plea to worship inside Qutub Minar complex after man moves court claiming ownership of complex

[Qutub Minar case] Man moves Delhi court claiming all land between Ganga and Yamuna from Agra to Gurugram

Prashant Jha

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