The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition to hand over the iconic Red Fort to Kolkata’s Sultana Begum, the 60-year-old great-granddaughter-in-law of India’s last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar II. Sultana Begum, who is the widow of the great-grandson of the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar II, claims that the 17th century Mughal red sandstone fortress belongs to her family.

A bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar dismissed her petition, calling it “misconceived” and “meritless”. “You want to argue this…” the Chief Justice asked the petitioner as he discarded the petition.

“Why only Red Fort? Why not Fatehpur Sikri and Taj Mahal?” CJI asks Sultana Begum

While hearing Sultana Begum’s petition over Red Fort’s ownership, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna retorted, “Why only Red Fort? Why not Fatehpur Sikri and Taj Mahal?”

Fatehpur Sikri was founded as the capital of the Mughal Empire in 1571 by Emperor Akbar, who reigned in the late 16th century, while Taj Mahal was built by Akbar’s grandson and Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his late wife, empress consort of Mughal Empire Mumtaz Mahal who died while giving birth to a child.

Sultana Begum demanded compensation from Govt of India for Red Fort

Sultana Begum had argued that the British East India Company forcibly took possession of the iconic historical monument Red Fort in 1857. She claimed her right to ownership based on inheritance from her ancestor, Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar II. Her petition also alleged that the Government of India has been illegally occupying the Red Fort and demanded compensation from the year 1857 to the present.

The Red Fort had been taken away from the Mughals by the British administration after the First War of Independence in 1857, after which Bahadur Shah Zafar II, who had supported the first rebellions against the colonial rule, was exiled and his properties were confiscated.

Alternatively, she demanded financial assistance from the government to give up her claim.

Sultana’s plea earlier rejected by Delhi High Court

In 2021 Sultana Begum had approached the Delhi High Court, pointing out that in 1960 the Government of India had confirmed the claim of her (now deceased) husband, Bedar Bakht as the descendant and heir of Bahadur Shah Zafar II.

The government subsequently began paying him a pension that was transferred to her in 1980, upon his death. However, Sultana argues that she can barely make ends meet with the pension amount.

She alleged the government had taken ‘illegal’ possession of the Red Fort and its unwillingness to provide adequate compensation – commensurate with its property and historical value – was a direct violation of her fundamental rights and rights under Article 300A of the Constitution, which says no person shall be deprived of their lawful property, except by the authority of law. However, this plea was junked by the Delhi High Court.

Three years later she appealed against that verdict, and it was rejected again.

Who is Sultana Begum?

Sultana Begum is the 60-year-old great-granddaughter-in-law of India’s last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar II, who lives in extreme poverty in Howrah near Kolkata. Begum had demanded possession of the Red Fort on grounds she is a direct descendant of the original owners of the historical monument – the Mughal emperors.

A far cry from the luxury and opulence her royal ancestors once knew, Sultana’s life today is marked by desperate poverty and daily hardships. Her royal heritage, which once saw her ancestors living in grandeur and ruling over a vast and prosperous empire, is little consolation to the woman who can barely make ends meet.

Despite being a direct descendant of the Mughal dynasty, Sultana lives in a tiny two-room hut in a notorious slum area in Howrah near Kolkata. Sharing a kitchen with neighbours and washing in public street taps, her existence has become a far cry from the lavish life her ancestors enjoyed.

Bahadur Shah Zafar II– the last Mughal ruler

Sultana Begum’s great-grandfather, Bahadur Shah Zafar, was the last ruler of the Mughal Empire, a dynasty that had once dominated the Indian subcontinent for over three centuries. Bahadur Shah Zafar became emperor in 1837 at the age of 62, inheriting an empire that had been severely weakened by internal strife and external threats. His reign barely extended beyond the confines of Delhi’s Red Fort, and the British East India Company had increasingly grown in power, effectively controlling the political and military landscape of India.