Delhi HC slams Hindutva NGO for repeated petitions targeting Muslim religious sites
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has expressed strong displeasure over repeated public interest litigations (PILs) filed by Hindutva NGO, Save India Foundation, saying that the petitions selectively target mosques, dargahs, and waqf properties.
According to Kashmir Media Service, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia also took exception to the organisation’s practice of commenting on pending matters on social media. The court cautioned parties against inflaming public sentiment in sensitive matters, stressing that arguments must be confined to the courtroom.
Earlier in January also the High Court strongly criticised Save India Foundation for filing multiple public interest litigations alleging encroachments by mosques and dargahs in New Delhi, observing that the organisation appeared to be targeting only one category of religious structures and was misusing the court’s jurisdiction.
The latest observations came while the Bench was hearing a separate PIL filed against Save India Foundation, another NGO named Sewa Nyaya Utthan Foundation, and others. The petition said that these organisations were filing frivolous PILs to target religious places for political purposes and to fuel communal tensions.
The plea, filed by Mohammad Kamran, head of the Civilian Welfare Charitable Trust, referred to an attempted demolition by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) near Masjid Faiz Elahi at Turkman Gate.
The petition said the demolition was carried out following a High Court order directing action against encroachments. Kamran argued that the court had been misled, as neither the mosque’s managing committee nor the Delhi Waqf Board had been made parties to the proceedings, in violation of PIL norms.
He sought directions to halt action against the Faiz Elahi mosque, impose costs on Save India Foundation, and strengthen the High Court’s PIL rules to prevent misuse of such petitions to target Muslim religious structures.
