HC dismisses plea against Delhi Waqf Board administrator appointment

Delhi: The Delhi High Court has dismissed a plea challenging the appointment of the administrator of the Delhi Waqf Board, imposing a fine of Rs 10,000 on the petitioner.

Justice Subramonium Prasad ruled that the plea represented an abuse of the legal process, lacking valid grounds for the requested quashing of the appointment.

"This Court is not inclined to entertain the present writ petition and is inclined to dismiss the writ petition imposing costs of Rs 10,000/- on the petitioner to be deposited with the Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund within four weeks from today," stated the court.

The petition was filed by Yamin Ali, a Mehrauli resident, who opposed several actions taken by the Waqf Board's administrator.

Ali contended that his mother's grave in the cemetery adjacent to the historic Akhoundji Mosque, a property classified as Waqf Property with the Delhi Waqf Board, was threatened by the administrator's demolition actions. He argued that the administrator failed in his duty to protect Waqf Property.

However, the court noted that Ali had previously filed and withdrawn a similar plea with the same allegations before a coordinate bench.

The court said that the new petition repeated the same claims without presenting any new, substantial reasons why the administrator's appointment should be invalidated.

"The petitioner has once again filed a Writ Petition with the very same averments and has approached this Court by filing the instant writ petition," the court remarked, adding that Ali failed to demonstrate how the administrator was unqualified for the role.

The court criticised Ali for attempting to cast a communal light on the administrator's actions without justification.

The court concluded that there was no basis to quash the administrator's appointment, declaring the petition an abuse of legal process and a publicity-oriented litigation.