The Delhi High Court has ordered the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to present a 2004 letter from then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, which assured that the capital city’s Jama Masjid would not be declared a “protected monument,” India Today reported.

In a hearing on a petition seeking the declaration of the historic mosque as a protected site and the removal of encroachments around it, Justice Prathiba M Singh criticised the ASI for failing to provide the complete file related to Singh’s decision. Instead, the ASI submitted “loose sheets” and incomplete records, which did not meet the court’s requirements.

The ASI had previously informed the court that in October 2004, the Manmohan Singh government assured the Shahi Imam that the mosque would not be designated as a protected monument and added that the “letter is with the Shahi Imam.”

The court emphasised the importance of the full documentation ahead of the next hearing.

If the Jama Masjid is declared a protected monument, the ASI will take over its management, resulting in heightened government oversight. While religious practices are expected to continue, certain activities may face restrictions.

A Public Interest Litigation filed by Suhail Ahmed Khan and Ajay Gautam in 2014 questioned why the mosque is not managed by the ASI.

The ASI noted in its court affidavit that the issue of designating the mosque as a centrally-protected monument was raised in 2004. But the then-PM Singh assured the Shahi Imam in a letter dated October 20, 2004, that it would not be declared a protected site.

In August, the Supreme Court of India instructed the ASI and the Union Ministry of Culture to provide documentation regarding Singh’s decision on the Jama Masjid.