The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea in which a woman claiming to be the widow of the great-grandson of Bahadur Shah Zafar II from the Mughal dynasty sought possession of the Red Fort in the national capital.

According to the petition, their family property was taken away by the British East India Company following the first War of Independence in 1857, after which the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was exiled from the country and possession of the Red Fort was taken away from the Mughals. The petitioner sought possession of the Red Fort or adequate compensation from 1857 till date for 'illegal possession' by the government or any other relief deemed fit.