Sunehri Bagh Masjid

Sunehri Bagh Masjid is a mosque in Delhi, India, located in Lutyens' Delhi area, constructed during the Mughal era. It is listed as a Grade-III heritage structure and is made of two storeys, and comprises a Bangla dome and four minarets. The mosque was recommended for demolition in August 2023 by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) for better traffic management, and public opinions were sought in December 2023.

NDMC's recommendation received criticism from minority activists, historians and organisations including Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and Indian History Congress. It was challenged in the Delhi High Court by the mosque's imam, in response to which, NDMC told the court that the notice was procedural and "nothing is going to happen to Delhi's Sunehri Bagh Masjid anytime soon".

History
Sunehri Bagh Masjid has a reported history of over 200 years, and predates the construction of the colonial capital of New Delhi. The mosque belongs to the Mughal period; however, its exact construction dates are unknown. According to historian Swapna Liddle, the mosque likely belongs to the 17th century, or earlier. It is located in the Lutyens' Delhi area near Udyog Bhawan metro station.

The Lutyens' Delhi area is asserted to have developed around the mosque several decades after its construction. The mosque survived several ravages including the colonial reconstruction of New Delhi in 1912 led by Edwin Lutyens. The mosque housed Indian independence movement activists including Hasrat Mohani, who used to stay there while attending Parliament sessions. The Delhi chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage listed the mosque as a heritage building which was worth preservation, and had filed a PIL to "ensure that such buildings were given legal protection", which subsequently led to the mosque being listed as a Grade-III heritage building in a 2009 Delhi government notification.

Structure
Sunehri Bagh Masjid is a two-storey structure. It has a Bangla dome and four minarets. The mosque has rooms in the basement that either serve as shops or homes, and a staircase leading to the prayer area. The ground floor has a park around it. The mosque is made of Lakhori bricks.

Demolition notice
Okhla MLA, Amanatullah Khan wrote to Prime Minister on 3 June 2021 seeking assurance that the heritage mosques in the Lutyen's area would not be touched as a part of the Central vista project. The Delhi Waqf Board filed a plea in the Delhi High Court in July 2023, which was first heard on 5 July 2023. The court issued an interim order on 7 July 2023 maintaining the status quo, and the proceedings were closed on 18 December 2023.

In August 2023, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) recommended to the High Court and proposed the removal of the mosque. NDMC had stated that the 150-year-old mosque "falls in a high-security zone where Parliament and Central government offices are located", and the removal ensured "safe and smooth flow of traffic".

NDMC issued a public notice on 24 December 2023 to seek public opinions and suggestions. It issued the notification in accordance with statements from Delhi Traffic Police stating that the mosque "creates traffic snarls in the area, especially on Tuesdays and Fridays." The removal proposal was found to be contradictory with a 2021 traffic study report submitted by the Central Public Works Department. The report did not find any "congestion at the roundabout then or in the near future". By 1 January 2024, NDMC had received over 85,000 responses, mainly from Muslim and minority organisations and mostly against the demolition of the mosque. Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind president Mahmood Madani wrote to Prime Minister Modi and home minister Amit Shah expressing reservations about the notification. He wrote in the letter that "such an action would constitute a grave loss to our shared heritage". An anonymous veteran architect quoted by Telegraph India stated, "The Sunehri Bagh Masjid is not merely a structure of bricks and mortar; it stands as a testament to our historical legacy and architectural grandeur. Its demolition would result in an irrevocable loss to the cultural fabric and collective identity of our city."

Delhi High Court
Abdul Aziz, the imam of Sunehri Bagh Masjid, challenged the NDMC's seeking public opinion, in the Delhi High Court, and alleged "that the notice was issued with malafide intention without any application of mind and that the structure was being targeted without any research or data to support the claim that the structure was causing traffic congestion in the area." NDMC told the court that "nothing is going to happen to Delhi’s Sunehri Bagh Masjid anytime soon", stating that the public notice was procedural, and opinions from the Heritage Conservation Committee would be heard first. The case was transferred to a double-bench on 11 January 2024.

Reactions from historians
Historian and a retired professor of Jamia Millia Islamia University, Narayani Gupta observed that "Lutyens cleverly incorporated this little masjid into one of his roundabouts. Instead of learning from him, our present town controllers pay homage only to VIP cars", and Swapna Liddle stated that there were several other ways which could resolve the traffic problems around the mosque.

On 10 January 2024, the Indian History Congress, which comprises historians from all parts of India, issued a resolution opposing the NDMC's decision of demolition of the mosque subject to the mosque's cultural significance and its history during the construction of New Delhi. The historians stated that the location of the mosque is evocative and serves as a relic.