By IANS,
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court Monday appointed a new court commissioner to probe alleged illegal construction inside the historic Jama Masjid after the city government counsel requested to be excused from the assignment.
Justice Rajiv Shakdher appointed counsel Saqib to the post and asked him to visit the Jama Masjid site to verify allegations that the Shahi Imam, Syed Ahmad Bukhari, and others had raised illegal structures. Saqib was asked to file status report within two weeks as the court posted the matter for Dec 18.
Najimi Waziri, standing counsel for Delhi government, had earlier asked the court to be excused from being the court commissioner in the case. “I do not want to act (as the court commissioner) and I cannot discuss the reasons in the open court,” he said.
“Mr. Waziri expressed personal differences in continuing as the court commissioner. Accordingly Mr. Saqib is going to be the court commissioner. Necessary assistance would be given to him by the police. Status report would be filed in two weeks,” Justice Shakdher said Monday.
The court had earlier formed a committee to be headed by Waziri to visit the Jama Masjid site to verify allegations that the Shahi Imam with others had raised illegal structures.
Petitioner Suhail Ahmed Khan alleged that in March and April this year, Bukhari with his three brothers started illegal construction on encroached government land adjacent to the historical mosque.
Seeking legal action against Imam and his three brothers, the petitioner asked the court to immediately restrain them from an ongoing unauthorised illegal construction over the encroached government land.