Centre can repair Jinnah House

The Indian government can repair and renovate the crumbling 93-year-old Jinnah House, spread over 10,000 sq metres at Malabar Hill.

The Indian government can repair and renovate the crumbling 93-year-old Jinnah House, spread over 10,000 sq metres at Malabar Hill.

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A division bench of the Bombay High Court on Monday, however, said the government can’t carry out any structural changes. After renovating the structure, the government can put Jinnah House to a purpose befitting its historical significance. The house was built by the founder of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah in 1917.

The bench also admitted the plea of Jinnah’s daughter Dina Wadia (91), seeking claim to her father’s property, and the plea of Mohamed Ebrahim and Shakir Ebrahim, his grandson and great-grandson.

The bench clarified that the use and possession of the house will be subject to its final order.

The Centre had taken over Jinnah House in 1949.

Wadia, mother of industrialist Nusli Wadia, had approached the court in 2007, claiming the government’s move was illegal.