Centre says Krishi Bhawan mosque ‘incompatible with secular character’, to be demolished

The Union government proposes removing Qadeemi Masjid, a century-old mosque located in Krishi Bhawan’s open courtyard. The mosque is used by government employees and nearby office workers, so its proposed demolition affects both a historic structure and an established prayer space.

The Centre argues that Krishi Bhawan and the Central Secretariat are meant only for government, administrative and public-service functions. It says retaining or reserving land for a religious structure would be incompatible with the complex’s secular character and the Central Vista master plan.

The mosque’s caretaking committee has asked the Delhi High Court for protection. It has also requested an alternative prayer facility if the mosque cannot remain. The Centre has identified Shahi Masjid Zabta Ganj, near India Gate, as a possible alternative. The court is considering whether government rules actually prevent prayer spaces on government premises.

A government complex with a secular character is understood as a public space devoted to administration and public services, not to promoting or favouring a particular religion. In India, secularism generally means the state does not officially privilege one faith. It does not automatically answer whether people may pray in government buildings.

The Centre says Krishi Bhawan and the Central Secretariat were designed exclusively for government, administrative and public-service functions. It argues that keeping a mosque, or reserving land for any religious structure, would conflict with that purpose and with the Central Vista master plan.

The Delhi High Court has asked a more specific question: are there rules that prohibit religious structures or prayer spaces on government premises? Justice Anish Dayal also asked whether no prayer space could be provided to any religious community. The article does not report the court’s final ruling, so the legal meaning remains under consideration.

The Central Vista redevelopment project is a long-term effort to redevelop a stretch of central Delhi. It began in 2019 and includes major government buildings and offices. The project has already delivered a new Parliament building, the vice president’s residence, the central secretariat and a new Prime Minister’s Office.

Krishi Bhawan houses the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. Along with neighbouring Shastri Bhawan, it is scheduled to be demolished and replaced by new buildings. The government says these sites are intended for administrative and public-service functions under the redevelopment plan.

The mosque was not listed directly for removal in the Central Public Works Department’s tender, but it was absent from plans for the proposed buildings. That omission raised fears about its future. The redevelopment therefore creates a conflict between a government construction plan and the committee’s demand to preserve the mosque or receive another prayer facility.

Qadeemi Masjid is described as a century-old mosque. That age gives the dispute a historical dimension, because the structure has existed through major changes around central Delhi. The article does not provide an exact construction year, so its age is stated only in broad terms.

The mosque has also served a continuing practical purpose. According to its caretaking committee, employees of Krishi Bhawan and neighbouring government offices have used it for prayers for several decades. It stands in an open courtyard inside the Krishi Bhawan premises.

Its proposed removal would therefore affect both a historic place and people who have regularly prayed there. The committee approached the Delhi High Court after plans for new buildings appeared to omit the mosque. The Centre says a nearby mosque could provide an alternative, while the court considers whether prayer space may remain within government premises.

If Qadeemi Masjid is demolished, people who currently pray there would lose their established prayer space inside Krishi Bhawan. The impact would be especially direct for employees of Krishi Bhawan and neighbouring government offices, who the caretaking committee says have used the mosque for several decades.

The Centre argues that it cannot be required to reserve space for the mosque inside Krishi Bhawan or the Central Secretariat complex. As an alternative, it has identified Shahi Masjid Zabta Ganj near India Gate. The government says that mosque lies within a two-kilometre radius and could serve worshippers.

The alternative has not resolved the dispute. The committee has asked for another prayer facility if keeping Qadeemi Masjid is genuinely unavoidable or incompatible with the approved redevelopment. The High Court has given the committee time to respond, and the matter is scheduled for hearing on November 23.

The Delhi High Court is examining whether government premises may contain religious structures or spaces for prayer. The issue matters because the Centre says Krishi Bhawan and the Central Secretariat must be used only for government, administrative and public-service purposes.

Justice Anish Dayal asked whether rules bar religious structures or prayer spaces within government complexes. He also asked whether no space could be provided for prayer to any religious community. These questions test whether the government’s stated secular purpose creates an absolute prohibition or allows a more limited arrangement.

The court has not yet answered those questions. It has given the mosque’s caretaking committee time to respond to the Centre’s affidavit. The committee seeks protection for Qadeemi Masjid and has requested an alternative prayer facility if retention is genuinely unavoidable or incompatible with the redevelopment. The matter will next be heard on November 23.

A waqf is an endowment under Islamic law dedicated to a religious, educational or charitable cause. The article says each state has a waqf board led by a legal entity empowered to acquire, hold and transfer property. This framework can give a religious property a formal legal status.

The Delhi Waqf Board notified Qadeemi Masjid as a Waqf property in 1970. That notification is central to the committee’s effort to protect the mosque. It supports the claim that the site is not merely an informal prayer place but property recognised within the waqf system.

The Centre nevertheless says it cannot be compelled to set aside space for the mosque inside Krishi Bhawan or the Central Secretariat complex. The article does not report a final ruling on how the waqf notification affects redevelopment. The High Court must consider the property claim alongside the project’s master plan and the government’s secular-character argument.