SC trashes woman’s plea seeking possession of Red Fort; she claims to be last Mughal heiress, now lives on Rs 6000…, her name is…

The Supreme Court has rejected the plea of a woman, who claimed to be the widow of great-grandson of Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar-II.

In a shocking turn of events on Monday, the Supreme Court rejected the plea of a woman, who claimed to be the widow of great-grandson of Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar-II, Begum Sultana. As per a report covered by news agency PTI, Begum Sultana was seeking possession of the historic Red Fort on account of being the legal ‘heir’. Here are all the details you need to know.

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.

‘Petitioner family member of the first freedom fighter’ says Counsel

“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”.

History of petitions claiming Mughal monuments

Earlier in a case from last year, a division bench of the Delhi High Court 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.

Who is Begum Sultana?

Begum Sultana said she could not file the appeal owing to her bad health and passing away of her daughter. Sultana lives with her unmarried daughter, Madhu Begum, and despite repeatedly petitioning the government for aid, her circumstances remain dire. Though her royal ancestry is well-documented, she has received little recognition or support.

Notably, the Mughal dynasty of which Sultana is descended contributed a vast architectural legacy to the Indian sub-continent throughout the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries with the iconic Taj Mahal as the best example. It has also been reported that she is living on a meager pension of just 6,000 rupees a month.

Also, Begum Sultana has spent years petitioning central and state governments asking for basic living arrangements and a pension.

(With inputs from agencies)