A mahant who had been living inside the Purana Qila for three decades was on Monday asked by Delhi high court to vacate the premises. A special bench dismissed Mange Ram Bharadwaj’s appeal and asked him to leave the premises as it is a centrally protected monument.
Bharadwaj had challenged the eviction notice of the estate officer, claiming he is the mahant of Sri Kunti Devi Mandir inside the Purana Qila area. He asserted that the government had no right to dispossess him of the temple. The petitioner claimed the temple on the land mentioned was 5,500 years old and was being maintained since 1880, the time of his great grandfather. He urged HC to rule in his favour, arguing he is performing puja in the temple since 1976.
