Supreme Court Dismisses Plea to Declare Agra as ‘World Heritage Site’

Legal Article by - ARJUN SINGH (This Article was written by him during his Internship)

The Supreme Court of India on Friday, 13th September, 2024; had dismissed a plea that sought to declare Agra as a ‘world heritage site’ to help provide a boost to the city’s tourism and consequently it’s economy for the overall development of the city of Agra situated in Uttar Pradesh.

Agra is home to the historic monument, the ‘Taj Mahal’ which is one of the ‘Seven Wonders’ of the world and an invaluable source of information about the 17th Century and the Mughal Dynasty which created it. The Taj Mahal was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1983 and is one of India’s most visited places popular among both the domestic and the international tourists. The applicant had requested the court to submit a nomination for the city of Agra as a World Heritage Site to UNESCO. Apart from Taj Mahal, many other historic monuments make Agra a special tourist attraction and a potential candidate for becoming a World Heritage Site.

This application was made in the case of MC Mehta where the development of Taj Trapezium Zone was the issue in the court. The counsel pleaded that Agra has a rich history spanning over a millennium, and it must be preserved by declaring it as a World Heritage Site to help boost its economy and create employment for the people of the city.

This plea was rejected by the bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan as the court concluded that the counsel has not been able to convince the court as to what benefit would the special status provide for the city exactly. Justice Oka expressed that the likeliness of the city of Agra becoming a cleaner city after being declared as a World Heritage City remain low. The reasoning of the court was that India already has many ‘Smart Cities’ which are smart only in name, so implementation of the already passed orders would be in the best interest of the nation. There was also the question of whether the court had the powers of passing such a declaration. This question also remained unanswered and the plea stood rejected.

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