Supreme Court Issues Contempt Notice To ASI Director Over Failure To File Affidavit On Delhi Heritage Sites

The Supreme Court recently issued a show-cause notice to the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) over failure to file an affidavit regarding the conservation of 173 heritage monuments in Delhi.

A bench of Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh was considering the matter in the ongoing proceedings arising from a petition filed by Rajeev Suri concerning conservation and monitoring of monuments under various civic authorities in Delhi. The matter originally pertained to Gumti of Shaikh Ali, and was later expanded to other heritage buildings.

The Court noted that its previous order dated February 2, 2026 had required submission of status reports incorporating specific suggestions regarding monument inspection and documentation. Although the Court Commissioner, Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, placed a summary indicating that 173 monuments fall under the purview of the ASI, no affidavit had been filed by the ASI in compliance with the directions.

Taking a serious view, the bench observed that there had been a deliberate violation of its order and accordingly issued notice to the Director General of ASI to show cause why contempt proceedings should not be initiated.

"The Court takes strong exception to the deliberate violation of the order of this Court. Accordingly, notice is issued to the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India to show- cause, as to why, the Court may not initiate proceedings for contempt against him. He shall be personally present before the Court on the next date of listing along with his show-cause."

With respect to the Department of Archaeology of the Government of NCT of Delhi, the Court recorded that all 19 monuments identified by the department had been inspected and that there was compliance on most aspects except location identification and geo-mapping. However, the Court found the information placed on record to be general in nature and directed the department to file a detailed affidavit specifying steps taken for each monument along with up-to-date photographs.

Similar directions were issued to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), where only 62 out of 85 identified monuments had been surveyed and the exercise remained incomplete on certain aspects. The Court directed the MCD to provide monument-wise details of the actual position and compliance measures.

In relation to the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), the Court noted that only two out of 54 identified monuments had been surveyed. The bench directed the NDMC to file an affidavit detailing its role and coordination mechanism with other authorities to ensure effective monitoring and maintenance of monuments within its jurisdiction.

The Court clarified that for every monument, authorities must place on record precise location details, geo-mapping information, and up-to-date photographs, in addition to compliance details on all issues identified in earlier orders.

The bench also directed that its earlier order be communicated to historian Swapna Liddle and requested her presence on the next date of hearing, noting that the matter had not progressed on a particular aspect due to the lack of communication of the order.

The Court further addressed implementation of a scheme relating to the surrounding areas of the “Gumti of Shaikh Ali,” which is being executed by the Tourism Department of the Government of NCT of Delhi through subcontractors. It directed the department to ensure that the pace of work does not slow down and that the project does not become a commercial venture. A status report on the project has also been sought.

Case : Rajeev Suri v. Archaeological Survey of India and others SLP (c) 12213/2019

Click here to read the order