NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has ordered the attachment of the historic Bikaner House, owned by the Nokha Municipal Council of Rajasthan, to recover Rs 50.31 lakh owed to a private firm.
The Patiala House Court issued the attachment in favour of Enviro Infra Engineers Pvt Ltd after the municipal council failed to honour a 2020 arbitral award.
District Judge Vidya Prakash, citing repeated non-compliance by the council to disclose its assets, said, “This is a fit case for issuance of warrants of attachment against the immovable property of the judgment debtor, Bikaner House, New Delhi.”
The court also barred the municipal council from transferring, selling, or encumbering the property in any form and scheduled the next hearing for November 29.
The Rajasthan government has mobilised efforts to protect the iconic property, located near India Gate. Housing and urban development minister Jhabar Singh Kharra said the government would present its submission before the Patiala House Court during the next hearing. The submission aims to safeguard the status and ownership of Bikaner House.
Sources said that the government would investigate the alleged laxity by the previous officer in charge or the legal representatives and ensure accountability.
Built in 1929 by the Bikaner royals in art deco and colonial styles, Bikaner House serves as a cultural hub with an art gallery and restaurants.
Blaming administrative negligence for the crisis, the government dispatched additional advocate general Shiv Mangal Sharma to seek a stay on the attachment order.
A government statement said: “Immediate steps are being taken to secure the property and challenge the court order.”
During the pre-Independence period, Bikaner House hosted meetings between royal families, who contemplated their future. This was where they considered the accession policy that would allow them to formally join independent India.
The colonial-era structure is recognised as a Grade-II heritage building by the ASI. Bikaner House has been restored to its original form. It opened to the public on November 18, 2015.
The current episode follows a similar attachment of Himachal Bhawan by the high court to recover Rs 150 crore owed to another private entity.