Delhi HC orders demarcation of Tughlakabad fort area

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the SDM of Kalkaji, in south Delhi, to demarcate the boundaries of Tughlakabad fort area in the capital as it existed in 1993, to guard against further encroachment of the historical site.

A division Bench of Justice B D Ahmed and Justice Ashutosh Kumar directed that the demarcation of the fort should be done as per a 1993 Aerial Survey Map of the area.

Giving six weeks for the process, the court asked the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) to carry out demarcation through Total Station Method by super-imposing the present status on the 1993 Aerial Survey Map.

The court was hearing two petitions filed in public interest by local resident S N Bhardwaj and ‘Gram Vikas Sangathan’ alleging inaction by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to protect, maintain and preserve the Tughlakabad Fort.

During the previous hearing, the court had taken a strong view of the inability expressed by the ASI to stop encroachments. The Tughlakabad fort, declared a protected monument, is under the protection of the ASI since 1995. But, over the years, various illegal occupants have entered the fort premises and constructed their dwellings there.