The Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed an appeal by Sultana Begum, the widow of the great-grandson of the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar-II, seeking possession of the historic Red Fort. The appeal was directed against a 2021 decision by a single judge of the high court, which had earlier dismissed her petition due to significant delays in filing.
Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela ruled that the delay of over two-and-a-half years in challenging the initial decision was unreasonable, noting the overall delay spanned several decades, rendering the appeal barred by limitation. The court emphasized that such an extensive delay could not be condoned and dismissed the application for condonation of delay, leading to the dismissal of the appeal as well.
In her petition, Sultana Begum had claimed that the Red Fort, a symbol of India’s rich history and once the residence of Mughal emperors, was illegally taken over by the British East India Company after the 1857 First War of Independence. She argued that following the exile of Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar-II and the eventual takeover by the British, her family was unjustly deprived of their ancestral property.
Filed through advocate Vivek More, the petition asserted that as the legal heir and owner of the Red Fort, Sultana Begum was entitled to its possession or, alternatively, adequate compensation from the Indian government for its continued and alleged illegal occupancy since 1857. The petition detailed a request for the Centre to either return the Red Fort or provide compensation dating back to its capture.
