Get Shah Jahan's Signature to prove its claim of ownership on Taj Mahal, says SC
Supreme Court questions Shah Jahan's ownership on Taj Mahal, Agra
The Supreme Court has asked the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Waqf Board to produce documents that bear the signature of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to prove its claim of ownership on the Taj Mahal in Agra.
The apex court on Tuesday gave the board a week's time to produce signature of Emperor Shah Jahan.
Shah Jahan died under house arrest in the Agra Fort almost 18 years after building the monument in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.
In 2010, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had petitioned the court against the waqf board’s July 2005 decision ordering that the Taj be registered as the latter’s property. There is a stay on the order.
The Chief Justice of India asked, "Who in India will believe that the Taj belongs to the waqf board? How did Shah Jahan sign the waqfnama? When was it given to you?"
Appearing for the ASI, advocate ADN Rao said "there was no existence of waqfnama at that time".
"Under the 1858 proclamation, the properties taken over from the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, by the British vested with the Queen. By the 1948 Act, the buildings were taken over by the Indian government,” advocate Rao added.
"Shah Jahan used to view the Taj Mahal from his cell in Agra Fort where he was sent to serve house arrest by his son Aurangazeb. How did he sign the waqfnama while in custody? Show us the documents signed by the emperor," said CJI Misra demanding for documents with Shah Jahan's handwriting.
The Waqf Board is also contesting another crucial battle with the Supreme Court over the ownership of the Ayodhya land on which the erstwhile (now demolished) Babri Masjid stood.
-PTC News
