In a post on X on Tuesday, Owaisi said the matter required Rijiju’s urgent intervention and highlighted three concerns regarding the mosque’s legal status, the response of the waqf authorities and the responsibility of the Union Minister.
Owaisi stated that the mosque has been a gazetted waqf property since 1977, but the waqf board did not challenge the demolition order or make any effort to resolve the issue.
“Despite the masjid being a gazetted waqf property since 1977, the waqf board did not challenge the demolition order. Neither did it make any effort to resolve the issue,” he said.
He also argued that the mosque should remain protected under the Waqf Amendment Act because it qualifies as “waqf by user”. According to Owaisi, properties registered in the past under this category continue to be protected, yet no effort was made to address the mosque’s situation.
Owaisi further pointed to the absence of a constituted Delhi Waqf Board since 2023, saying that the responsibility to resolve the matter rested with the Union Minority Affairs Minister. He added that the board’s chief executive officer (CEO) could also have intervened but had not done so.
“It's the Minister's job to resolve the matter since the Delhi Waqf Board hasn't been constituted since 2023 but the CEO of the Board could have intervened, that also did not happen,” Owaisi said.
His intervention follows a statement by Amanatullah Khan, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA in the Delhi Assembly and former chairman of the Delhi Waqf Board, who raised concerns over the reported demolition plans.
Khan said the mosque’s imam, Maulana Haroon, had informed him that the Centre’s Land and Development Office (L&DO) was planning to demolish the mosque in the coming week.
In his post on X, Khan identified the site as the Race Course Mosque in New Delhi and said the structure predated independence. He also stated that the mosque was included on the New Delhi Municipal Council’s (NDMC) heritage list.
“This is the Race Course Mosque, which is in New Delhi. The mosque's imam, Maulana Haroon Sahab, told me that in the coming week, the central government's LNDO department is going to demolish this mosque. This mosque predates independence and is also on the NDMC's heritage list. Tomorrow, I myself will go there,” Khan posted on X.
Khan also announced that he would visit the mosque the following day after receiving the information from Maulana Haroon.
The reported demolition plan has prompted Owaisi to seek direct intervention from Rijiju, with the mosque’s gazetted waqf status, its inclusion on the NDMC heritage list and the absence of a constituted Delhi Waqf Board emerging as central issues in the matter.
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