New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the plea of a woman, who claimed to be the widow of great-grandson of Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar-II, seeking possession of the Red Fort here on account of being the legal ‘heir’.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar termed the plea as “misconceived” and “meritless” at the outset and refused to entertain the petition filed against the Delhi High Court order.
“The writ petition filed initially was misconceived and meritless. It cannot be entertained,” the CJI said.
The bench did not allow the counsel for petitioner Sultana Begum to withdraw the plea.
“The petitioner is the family member of the first freedom fighter of the country,” the counsel said.
The CJI said if the arguments are considered then “why only Red Fort then why not forts at Agra, Fatehpuri Sikri etc”.
A division bench of the Delhi High Court, on December 13, last year, had dismissed the appeal by Begum against the December 2021 decision of a HC single judge, noting the challenge was filed after a delay of over two-and-a-half years, which could not be condoned.
Begum said she could not file the appeal owing to her bad health and passing away of her daughter.