Delhi High Court Responds to Sultana Begum’s Claim: ‘Red Fort is Mine, Government Occupied It Illegally’

A woman named Sultana Begum had filed a case in the single bench of the Delhi High Court that the Red Fort belonged to her and the Government of India illegally occupied it. When the single bench of the High Court dismissed the case, she went to the double bench of the Delhi High Court. The decision of the same double bench has come today on Friday.

Sultana Begum, a woman who claimed to be the widow of the grandson of the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar II, had demanded possession of the Red Fort in the court. Sultana Begum said that in 1857 the British East India Company forcibly took away the possession from her. It was claimed in the petition that Sultana Begum is the real owner of the Red Fort as she inherited the property from her ancestor Bahadur Shah Zafar II.

Demand for direction to pay compensation from 1857 till date

The petition said that the Government of India had illegally occupied the fort. It was also said in the petition that a demand was also made to give direction to pay compensation from the year 1857 till the date of the alleged illegal occupation by the Government of India.

Delhi High Court decided for this reason.

This interesting case was dismissed by an angle-judge bench of the Delhi High Court in December 2021. Later this order was challenged in the double bench of Delhi High Court. So the double bench of Delhi High Court dismissed the petition today. The double bench of the High Court said that the appeal was filed after a delay of more than two and a half years which cannot be forgiven.

The matter can go to the Supreme Court.

After being dismissed in the double bench of the High Court, this matter can now go to the Supreme Court. Now it depends on Sultana Begum whether she remains silent after this decision or goes to the Supreme Court against the decision of the High Court.