NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday stressed that arranging spaces for last rites in the form of burial grounds and cemeteries is one of the primary functions of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia made the observation while hearing a plea by the Legal Christians Action Committee highlighting the “lack of cemeteries and burial grounds for Christians.” The bench observed that under the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, one of the functions assigned to the MCD was to regulate and maintain places meant for disposal of the dead.
“It thus appears that it is one of the primary functions assigned to MCD to arrange for spaces where the citizens of the city can observe last rites such as burial grounds and cemeteries,” the bench said.
It directed the civic body to give details of the Christian cemeteries or burial grounds within its territorial jurisdiction as well as the space available for the said purpose.
The PIL has sought directions to the authorities concerned to identify and allot suitable land in Delhi for a Christian cemeteries, citing “an acute shortage of burial grounds in the national capital.” The plea said that the existing Christian cemeteries at Burari, Patel Chest, Paharganj, Mangolpuri and the Prithviraj Road area are old and have reached their full capacity.
As a result, families are reportedly being forced to transport the mortal remains of deceased relatives to neighbouring states for burial, it claimed.
The petitioner told the court that it had approached the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the MCD on multiple occasions since June 2025, but no action has been taken.
The two-judge bench issued notices to the Delhi government, the MCD and DDA on the plea and sought their response on the issue by November 4.
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