The Dalmandi Judgment: Allahabad HC clears way for religious site acquisition

This is a High Court of Judicature at Allahabad judgment (Writ C No. 16649 of 2026) addressing a petition by shopkeepers in Varanasi regarding the state's plan to widen Dalmandi Street for the Kashi Vishwanath Dham Corridor. It matters to citizens as it concerns the legal protection of livelihoods, property rights, and the status of six pre-1947 mosques proposed for demolition.

The petitioners are six tenants and shopkeepers of Dalmandi Market/Street, Varanasi. The respondents are the State of U.P., Nagar Nigam Varanasi, Varanasi Development Authority, and the Public Works Department (PWD). The public affected includes other shopkeepers, residents, and the Muslim community in the Dalmandi area.

• The petitioners seek a mandamus to prevent their arbitrary dispossession from six specific shops (CK43/168-169, CK68/1, CK69/32, CK43/147, CK68/36, CK43/181) in Dalmandi Market.
• The petitioners seek protection against the use of police and paramilitary forces to force them out or harass them.
• The petitioners seek a direction to preserve six mosques (Anjuman Intezamia Masjid, Masjid Rangile Shah, Masjid Ali Raza Khan, Masjid Karimullah Baig, Masjid Nisaran, and Masjid Sangamarmar) alleged to have been constructed before August 15, 1947.
• The petitioners seek an alternative street development near the Kashi Vishwanath Dham Corridor instead of widening Dalmandi Street.
• The State issued Government Orders dated 31.03.2025 and 30.07.2025 allocating ₹21,588.24 lakhs for widening and beautifying Dalmandi Street.
• The petitioners allege that 29 buildings were demolished between 09.02.2026 and the date of the petition based on a representation regarding dilapidated structures, without following the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
• The petitioners claim that PWD, via an RTI reply, confirmed the six mosques are proposed for acquisition and demolition.

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