SC rejects 'Descendant of Bahadur Shah Zafar' claim seeking Red Fort possession
New Delhi, May 5 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea filed by a woman claiming to be the descendant of the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, seeking possession of the Red Fort on the basis of her lineage.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice PV Sanjay Kumar held the petition to be completely misconceived.
'Why only Red Fort? Why not Fatehpur Sikri? Why leave them also?' the Court remarked, before dismissing the writ petition.
The plea was filed by one Sultana Begum, who claimed to be the widow of the great-grandson of Bahadur Shah Zafar II. She sought both possession of the Red Fort and compensation from the Government of India, asserting that the property was taken away following the 1857 revolt, after which the emperor was exiled and the British East India Company seized control of the Fort.
Her counsel argued that the Delhi High Court had previously dismissed the matter solely on the grounds of delay, and requested the Supreme Court to do the same. 'Please dismiss on delay only,' the advocate submitted. However, the Apex Court declined, dismissing the plea outright on merits.
Earlier, a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court comprising Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela had dismissed her appeal in December 2024, observing a delay of over 900 days from the date of the single-judge order passed in December 2021.
The single-judge Bench had noted that the alleged cause of action arose more than 164 years ago. It stated, "Even if the petitioner's case were to be accepted that late Bahadur Shah Zafar II was illegally deprived of his property by the East India Company, as to how the writ petition would be maintainable after such an inordinate delay of over 164 years when it is an admitted position that the petitioner's predecessors were always aware of this position."
Following dismissal at both the single and division bench levels of the High Court, the petitioner had approached the Supreme Court, which has now conclusively rejected the claim.
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