Iconic Jinnah House in Mumbai to 'rival' Delhi's Hyderabad House

Over 70 years after it was abandoned by the founder of Pakistan Mohammed Ali Jinnah his iconic bungalow at Malabar Hill will be taken over by the Ministry of External Affairs and refurbished on the lines of New Delhis Hyderabad House official sources said on ThursdayThe Prime Ministers Office PMO has cleared the process to transfer the Jinnah House from the Indian Council of Cultural Relations ICCR said Bharatiya Janata Party legislator MP Lodha in whose Assembly constituency the property fallsThe MEA has been instructed by the PMO to renovate and refurbish it and develop it on the lines of the Hyderabad House in Delhi Lodha said quoting a December 5 letter received from Minister of External Affairs Sushma SwarajHowever ICCR officials here remained tightlipped on the development or a possible timeframe by which the Jinnah House would be handed over to the MEAThe famed and regal house with a white and green facade large balconies and rooms was created by renowned British architect Claude Batley was built in 193638 at a princely sum of nearly Rs 200000 on a prime green corner of Malabar HillThe groundplusone storey structure became the dream house for its owner Barrister Jinnah then a lawyer at the Bombay Presidency High Court and is spread across over 25 acres beside a builtup area of the majestic mansion spread of 1694 sq metresHistorically it was the venue where Jinnah first discussed the issue of the partition of undivided India in 1944 with Mahatma Gandhi and later in 1946 with Congress stalwart Pandit Jawaharlal NehruTop leaders of the Independence movement including Gandhi Nehru Subhash Chandra Bose and many others were regular visitors to the mansion in which crucial issues pertaining to Indias freedom struggle and its future were discussedThough Jinnah moved to Pakistan after partition he wanted his property to be hired on a monthly rent of Rs 3000 to a European family or a refined Indian princeHe made his desire known to the then Bombay Province Governor Sri Prakasa who was deputed by Nehru to ascertain what was Jinnahs desire with his home post partitionHowever after Independence on August 15 1947 and following Jinnahs death in 1948 it was declared evacuee property like thousands of othersLater in 1955 it was leased out to the British Deputy High Commission in Mumbai till 1982After that it has remained vacant with controversies surrounding it The erstwhile Janata Party government proposed to hand it over to the Pakistan Consulate But the idea was shelved following protestsSince 1982 it was under the care of the Central Public Works Department and in 1997 it was transferred to ICCR After the Enemy Property Bill 2016 it belongs to the Indian governmentIn March 2017 a leading builder called for its demolition saying it symbolized the place where the conspiracy to create Pakistan was hatchedIn 2007 Jinnahs daughter Dina Wadia approached the Bombay High Court staking claim to the property as the sole heirAfter her demise in November 2017 her son and Bombay Dyeing Chairman Nusli N Wadia is pursuing the caseCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Except for the change in the headline the story has been provided ASIS AS AVAILABLE without any verification or editing from our side Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever