Supreme Court summons MCD, ASI chiefs over Delhi heritage site reports

The Supreme Court has summoned the MCD additional commissioner and the Archaeological Survey of India’s director general over reports on Delhi heritage monuments that the bench said appeared inaccurate.

A bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and N Kotiswar Singh asked both officials to file affidavits and appear on October 7, after being told of encroachment and damage at Lodhi-era tombs in Zamrudpur. The court said it saw “total callousness and suppression of facts” in the MCD’s position.

The MCD had told the court in an April 10 status report that one of five tombs surveyed in Zamrudpur was satisfactory, while three had encroachment and littering around them. Court-appointed commissioners said one of the five Grade-I heritage buildings could not be traced.

They listed Tilangani Tomb as encroached upon and used as living space, while Atgah Khan’s tomb was described as damaged and encroached upon. Gogabai’s Tomb and Lal Chaubara were said to be fully encroached, with parts demolished. The ASI had described two monuments under its control as being in a good state of preservation, with no encroachment.

The court warned of action if future survey reports were found incorrect.