Mohammad Sultan v. Govt. Of NCT Delhi & ORS.

$~179 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI + W.P.(C) 4239/2025 MOHAMMAD SULTAN .....Petitioner Through:

Mr. Roshan Kumar, Mr. Ankit Chauhan, Advocates.

versus GOVT. OF NCT DELHI & ORS.

.....Respondents Through:

Advocate (appearance not given)

CORAM:

HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SACHIN DATTA % 16.04.2025

O R D E R

1.

The present petition has been filed by the petitioner, inter alia, praying as under - "a) Quash the impugned award awarded to the respondent no.2 dated 13.06.2023, b) Direct an inquiry against the practices of inspection team that inspected the camel bone necklace at the house of respondent no.2;" 2.

The contention of the petitioner is that respondent no. 2 was wrongly awarded a State Merit Award for crafting a 'camel bone necklace'. It is submitted that in actual fact, the said camel bone necklace was crafted by the father of the petitioner (late Mohammad Suleman) and not by the respondent no. 2. The petitioner contends that the artefact, which is visibly over 25 years old, and shows signs of age-related decay, could not have been recently crafted. The inspection process, therefore, suffered from serious lapses, and the award was granted based on a fraudulent claim. 3.

It is submitted that late Mohammad Suleman had expertise in the traditional craft of bone carving, particularly using camel bone. He handcrafted several artistic items, including necklaces, jewellery, and other The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above.

ornamental pieces. One such creation was the concerned camel bone necklace.

4.

It is submitted that the camel bone necklace was always owned and preserved by Late Mohammad Suleman at his residence in Property No. 1504, Gali Kotana, Suiwalan, Darya Ganj, New Delhi-110002. 5.

It is submitted that after the death of the petitioner's father in 2001, discord arose within the family, particularly involving the petitioner's brother (respondent no. 3) and his wife (respondent no. 2). They began to usurp the property and belongings of the deceased, including the camel bone necklace.

6.

It is submitted that the respondent no. 2 comes from a non-artisan background and has never received any formal or informal training in bone craft. Yet, she fraudulently acquired an artisan license from the Ministry of Textiles in 2010, listing her craft as "jewellery" and not bone craft. Despite having no experience in bone artistry, she began presenting Late Mohammad Suleman's work, especially the camel bone necklace, as her own in various government-supported exhibitions and craft bazaars. 7.

It is further submitted that the Government of Delhi regularly organizes events to preserve the cultural heritage of Delhi. Respondent no. 2 applied to one such event in 2020, using the camel bone necklace, crafted by the petitioner's father. It is submitted that an inspection team comprising Sh. Rakesh Kumar, SO (H/H), Sh. M. A. Qadri (Technical Expert) & Sh. Rajender Kumar, Manager (DSIIDC), approved that the camel bone necklace is made by respondent no.2, without duly verifying the authenticity or origin of the artifact.

8.

Subsequently on 13.06.2023, at a government-organized event The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above.

presided over by the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Delhi, respondent no. 2 was awarded a State Merit Award for the camel bone necklace. It is submitted that the petitioner has been wrongly awarded State Merit Award. 9.

It is submitted that the petitioner took various steps to bring the matter to the attention of relevant authorities. The petitioner, through his legal counsel, also issued a formal legal notice to the Commissioner of Industries requesting the cancellation of the merit award granted to respondent no. 2. However, the said authority failed to respond or take any corrective measures.

10.

Additionally, the petitioner filed Civil Suit CS SCJ 1506/2024 before the Civil Judge-06 at Tis Hazari Courts, which was withdrawn on 27.11.2024 due to jurisdictional limitations, with liberty to file afresh. 11.

Being aggrieved with the actions of the respondent no. 2, the petitioner has now filed the present petition. 12.

After some hearing, with the consent of respective counsel, the present petition is disposed of with a direction that the Government of NCT of Delhi (Department of Industries) will consider the present petition as a representation and consider the grievances of the petitioner raised in the present petition. Let a responsible officer be deputed by the concerned department for the said purpose.

13.

The representation shall be duly considered and disposed of as expeditiously as possible.

14.

With the aforesaid directions, the present petition is disposed of. SACHIN DATTA, J APRIL 16, 2025/r The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above.