The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition filed by Sultana Begum, who identifies herself as the widow of the great-grandson of Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, in which she sought possession of Delhi&rsquo;s Red Fort, asserting her status as the rightful legal heir.
A bench led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar rejected the plea at the very outset, categorising it as &ldquo;misconceived&rdquo; and &ldquo;meritless&rdquo;. Chief Justice Khanna remarked, &ldquo;The writ petition filed initially was misconceived and meritless. It cannot be entertained.&rdquo;
During the proceedings, Begum&rsquo;s counsel attempted to withdraw the plea, contending that she belonged to the family of India&rsquo;s &ldquo;first freedom fighter&rdquo;. However, the court refused permission to withdraw. In response, the Chief Justice stated, &ldquo;If we accept this argument, then why stop at Red Fort? Why not also claim forts in Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, and others?&rdquo;
This was not the first time the judiciary had declined her plea.&nbsp;
In December 2023, the Delhi High Court&rsquo;s division bench dismissed her appeal, citing a delay of over two-and-a-half years in filing. The court concluded that such a delay could not be excused.
Begum had explained the delay by referring to her ill health and the death of her daughter. However, the court termed this explanation &ldquo;inadequate&rdquo;.
Prior to that, in December 2021, her primary petition had already been turned down by a single judge of the Delhi High Court. That order pointed out that she had taken more than 150 years to bring forward her claim, describing the delay as excessive.
Begum had claimed that her family lost possession of the Red Fort when the British took control during the 1857 uprising.&nbsp;
She stated that following the exile of Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, the British East India Company assumed control of the fort.
She argued that she had inherited the Red Fort from her ancestor and that its current occupation by the Government of India was unlawful. In her plea, she requested that the fort be returned to her or that she be granted suitable compensation.
<a href="https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb34ERXCnA7lrMp57S3N" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow the Benefit News channel on WhatsApp</a>
&nbsp;

Red Fort claim by Mughal emperor’s descendant rejected by Supreme Court due to delay and legal insufficiency

SC Rejects Mughal Heir’s Red Fort Ownership Claim

Red Fort claim by Mughal emperor’s descendant rejected by Supreme Court due to delay and legal insufficiency

May 5, 2025 | 13:16 IST