The Supreme Court on Wednesday reprimanded the Rajasthan government for failing to protect heritage structures, calling the state government’s actions “extremely unfortunate.”
The matter was heard by a bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, A.S. Oka and J.B. Pardiwala.
Despite a court order passed in September last year to protect the heritage in Jhunjhunu district, the bench which is led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul took strong exception to the destruction and mismanagement of properties and items belonging to the late Raja Bahadur Sardar Singh of Khetri, a member of the Constituent Assembly.
The Court stated that it was “shocked” after reviewing some photographs taken at heritage sites, not only because its previous directives had been violated, but also because the state had shown no interest in protecting historical and cultural structures.
“You have lost your credibility. Whatever was of heritage and architectural value has been lost. Your government is not serious at all about safeguarding heritage. We are going to record that you have destroyed heritage deliberately and we will also haul you up for contempt for violating our orders,” the bench told senior counsel Manish Singhvi, who was appearing for the Rajasthan government.
The court’s anguish came as it dealt with a protracted dispute relating to acquisition of properties of Singh, who was also a Rajya Sabha member and ambassador to Laos. Singh died childless in 1987, leaving behind a raft of properties.
While the state proceeded to take over the properties under the Rajasthan Escheats Regulation Act, 1956, a trust, Khetri Trust, claimed to be Singh’s creation through a will. This sparked a legal battle between the state and the Khetri Trust.
The Supreme Court on 22nd September 2022 noted that while the final decision on which side should receive Singh’s assets would take more time, six immovable properties in the state government’s custody were in ruins and needed immediate protection and restoration.
In Jhunjhunu, these properties included the Kothi Sukh Mahal, Kothi Jai Niwas, Kothi Amar Hall, and Nizamat Building.
The bench set the next hearing for March 21 and directed the state government to release a sum of 5 crore for the renovation and conservation of the heritage sites, directing the committee to begin work immediately.
