Delhi High Court Rules Out Use of Government Land For Burial Ground

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Delhi High Court Rules Out Use of Government Land For Burial Ground
Delhi High Court Rules Out Use of Government Land For Burial Ground

A Delhi High Court bench comprising acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar has ruled that government land cannot be utilized as a burial ground.

The bench passed the ruling while considering a petition by the NGO, Kabristan Intzamia Association, a Muslim organization which claimed it had started using the land near West Delhi’s Vipin Garden as a burial ground on the basis of a statement by an MLA.

 

No Legal Right Shown

 

.The court held that nobody had rights to make use of any open land or government land ‘indiscriminately’ as a burial ground. It further stated that no legal right has been “either pointed out or made out” with regard to the land.

 

The court also observed that “there was no illegality in the decision”  of the Dwarka sub-divisional magistrate which was passed in August and was being challenged.

All parties have been directed to follow the magistrate’s decision and local authorities have been asked to take strict action against those who are violating the order.

Burial Grounds Lost In Land Grabs

Last year, a report submitted by the Delhi Minorities Commission, noted that “at least 70 residential colonies, office complexes and prominent buildings” are located on lands that were earlier graveyards. The commission pointed out that there was a severe crunch of burial spaces for the community due to land grabs by the real estate players.

The Delhi Municipal Corporation has also been in receipt of several complaints from minority groups which have raised concerns regarding the “lack of entombment spaces for their dead”.

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