The Delhi High Court has affirmed that the installation of a statue of Maharani Lakshmi Bai at Shahi Idgah Park, Sadar Bazar, will not impede the prayer rights of worshippers. This decision comes after the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) reassured the court and the Shahi Idgah Managing Committee that the rights to offer prayers at the park remain unharmed.
The statue’s installation had been contested by the Shahi Idgah Managing Committee, which filed a plea after a single judge declined to stop the project. The committee argued that the park, declared Waqf property capable of hosting up to 50,000 worshippers as per a 1970 gazette notification, was being encroached upon.
During the proceedings, Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela heard from both parties. The bench, upon hearing the assurances from civic authorities that the installation did not encroach on the area used for prayers, found the plea to be unnecessary and dismissed it. “The appeal has become infructuous as the statue of Maharani Lakshmi Bai has been installed at one corner of the Idgah Park, which is owned by DDA, and that too after the construction of a boundary wall,” the bench noted, underscoring that the measures taken ensure no disruption to the prayer rights.
The court further noted the significance of maintaining harmony and respecting historical figures without communal bias. “Rani Lakshmi Bai is a national hero, and history should not be divided by communal politics,” the bench remarked, highlighting the importance of unity in the recognition of historical contributions.
