Restore Muslim school demolished during Emergency: Delhi High Court

By A Representative
The Delhi High Court has asked the lieutenant governor and the Delhi government to restore the poor Qaumi School, demolished during the Emergency on June 30, 1976, by finding a place for its rebuilding. Currently, it is being run from the Delhi Eidgah ground, and operates in tin sheds.
At the same time, it directed the Delhi government to meet all the stake holders to find a solution to provide adequate land and building for the institution.
Acting Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court division bench Gita Mittal said, no matter to whom the land belongs to, it must be found out, and 1 to 2 acres should be given to the school, as it is the question of 722 innocent children who are studying under the tin shed.
She was responding to petitioner Firoz Bakht Ahmed, a social activist, who appeared in person, as advocate who his counsel Atyab Siddiqui on account of bereavement in family, could not appear in the court.
Bakht said, the Delhi chief secretary MM Kutty has ordered his law officer to find out the status of the land, about 15-16 acres, on which the school earlier stood. Some believe belongs to the Waqf Board, while others say, it is Delhi Development of Authority’s (DDA’s) or Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD’s). Till date there is no clarity on the owner of land, which DDA claims belongs to it and requires it for recreational purposes.
Suggesting that the manner in which the school is being run runs contrary to the Delhi Education Act, Justice Mittal said, no school should operate from under tin sheds. She reprimanded Sanjay Ghosh, Delhi government counsel, who did not submit the chief secretary’s report on the school on time.
When the counsel for DDA stated that the DDA can't give any land free of cost for any reason, Justice Mittal told him that the school that was demolished on June 30, 1976, had possessed its own ground plus four floor structure with 23 rooms as stated in the petition and must be compensated.
Bakht, referring to the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, highlighted that the Delhi government was obliged to provide land and building for the poor students of Qaumi School, under Sections 6, 7 and 8.
He said that the school was constructed during the post-Partition phase, using funds arranged by Muslims, who had decided to stay back in rather than choosing to go to Pakistan and as award, their wards are now to fend for themselves under the tin sheds where attending the classes in terrible summers and chilling winters is a havoc.
Bakht argued, the Qaumi School, demolished on June 30, 1976, was shifted from Sarai Khalil in Sadar Bazaar to the Eidgah land in Quresh Nagar, where it has been functioning as a makeshift institution from the tented and tinned premises. He added that nothing has been done to restore the school despite promises for allotment of land and building.
“Under RTE, it is obligatory on the State to provide infrastructure including a school building. The civic authorities have failed to discharge the statutory onus,” said the petition. The school runs classes up to senior secondary level. The school was launched in 1948 with 23 rooms in a building.

Comments

From Kerala to Bangladesh: Lynching highlights deep social faultlines

By A Representative The recent incidents of mob lynching—one in Bangladesh involving a Hindu citizen and another in Kerala where a man was killed after being mistaken for a “Bangladeshi”—have sparked outrage and calls for accountability.

What Sister Nivedita understood about India that we have forgotten

By Harasankar Adhikari In the idea of a “Vikshit Bharat,” many real problems—hunger, poverty, ill health, unemployment, and joblessness—are increasingly overshadowed by the religious contest between Hindu and Muslim fundamentalisms. This contest is often sponsored and patronised by political parties across the spectrum, whether openly Hindutva-oriented, Islamist, partisan, or self-proclaimed secular.

When a city rebuilt forgets its builders: Migrant workers’ struggle for sanitation in Bhuj

Khasra Ground site By Aseem Mishra* Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is not a privilege—it is a fundamental human right. This principle has been unequivocally recognised by the United Nations and repeatedly affirmed by the Supreme Court of India as intrinsic to the right to life and dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. Yet, for thousands of migrant workers living in Bhuj, this right remains elusive, exposing a troubling disconnect between constitutional guarantees, policy declarations, and lived reality.

Aravalli at the crossroads: Environment, democracy, and the crisis of justice

By Rajendra Singh* The functioning of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has undergone a troubling shift. Once mandated to safeguard forests and ecosystems, the Ministry now appears increasingly aligned with industrial interests. Its recent affidavit before the Supreme Court makes this drift unmistakably clear. An institution ostensibly created to protect the environment now seems to have strayed from that very purpose.

'Festive cheer fades': India’s housing market hits 17‑quarter slump, sales drop 16% in Q4 2025

By A Representative Housing sales across India’s nine major real estate markets fell to a 17‑quarter low in the October–December period of 2025, with overall absorption dropping 16% year‑on‑year to 98,019 units, according to NSE‑listed analytics firm PropEquity. This marks the weakest quarter since Q3 2021, despite the festive season that usually drives demand. On a sequential basis, sales slipped 2%, while new launches contracted by 4%.

'Structural sabotage': Concern over sector-limited job guarantee in new employment law

By A Representative The advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) has raised concerns over the passage of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (VB–G RAM G), which was approved during the recently concluded session of Parliament amid protests by opposition members. The legislation is intended to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Safety, pay and job security drive Urban Company gig workers’ protest in Gurugram

By A Representative Gig and platform service workers associated with Urban Company have stepped up their protest against what they describe as exploitative and unsafe working conditions, submitting a detailed Memorandum of Demands at the company’s Udyog Vihar office in Gurugram. The action is being seen as part of a wider and growing wave of dissatisfaction among gig workers across India, many of whom have resorted to demonstrations, app log-outs and strikes in recent months to press for fair pay, job security and basic labour protections.

India’s universities lag global standards, pushing students overseas: NITI Aayog study

By Rajiv Shah A new Government of India study, Internationalisation of Higher Education in India: Prospects, Potential, and Policy Recommendations , prepared by NITI Aayog , regrets that India’s lag in this sector is the direct result of “several systemic challenges such as inadequate infrastructure to provide quality education and deliver world-class research, weak industry–academia collaboration, and outdated curricula.”

The rise of the civilizational state: Prof. Pratap Bhanu Mehta warns of new authoritarianism

By A Representative Noted political theorist and public intellectual Professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta delivered a poignant reflection on the changing nature of the Indian state today, warning that the rise of a "civilizational state" poses a significant threat to the foundations of modern democracy and individual freedom. Delivering the Achyut Yagnik Memorial Lecture titled "The Idea of Civilization: Poison or Cure?" at the Ahmedabad Management Association, Mehta argued that India is currently witnessing a self-conscious political project that seeks to redefine the state not as a product of a modern constitution, but as an instrument of an ancient, authentic civilization.

Search This Blog