Raja Mehmoodabad gets Butler Palace

Rakesh Mohan Chaturvedi / TNN / Dec 20, 2005, 03:03 IST

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The total worth of his properties is estimated to be around rupees one thousand crores.

LUCKNOW: The king is getting his kingdom back. In bits. Raja Mehmoodabad, Mohammed Amir Mohammad Khan, got possession of Butler Palace and the adjoining lake, as per the direction of the Custodian, Enemy Property, Mumbai, here on Monday.
The Custodian's directives have come in the wake of the Supreme Court verdict, which went in favour of Raja Saheb after a long court battle in October this year.
The total worth of his properties is estimated to be around rupees one thousand crores. ADM (administration), Nagendra Pratap Singh, and SDM (sadar), Rajesh Kumar Pandey, were present on behalf of the district administration.
A visibly elated Raja Saheb was handed over the relevant papers at the Butler Palace, the first property whose possession has been given to him after the SC order.

The Butler Palace building housed the well-equipped Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPR) library, one of the best in the country. The premises were vacated after the SC order. The library has now been shifted to the non-descript PCF building, near Charbagh station.
When asked what he intended to do with this property, Raja Mehmoodabad replied, "This is a heritage property and should be put to some good use for the society. It should not become a closed sort of place."

"My entire concentration was focussed on the civil appeal to get the property back. Now that I have reached the bridge, I will think about how I cross it," Raja Saheb said.
He further added, "I think the government should show that it cares for knowledge and wisdom by opening a good centre in the city with audio-visual facilities."
He feels the ICPR library should be re-instated, though on a different location. The properties to be handed over to the Raja include the Lawrie building, Mehmoodabad Palace, Halwasiya Market, Siddiqui building, and Lal Kothi.
The Custodian has passed orders for handing over these properties on a 'as is where is basis". His attorney said, "The SC order says the property should be evicted before being handed over. But the Custodian has decided otherwise."
But sources are ruling out legal action in favour of an amicable solution. When asked about the fate of those shopkeepers who have been using his properties as tenants, Raja Mehmoodabad informed TOI, "Only in Zen Buddhism can you clap with one hand.
The shopkeepers have rights, and so do the others." When pressed further, he elaborated, "I also have obligations. There is something called compassion and humanity.
There is the letter of the law and there is spirit of the law. I won't say more, you can decipher from this." Raja Mehmoodabad, an astro-physicist and a very refined gentleman, is coming to terms with his victory and its rewards.
His main worries may be with the properties in Sitapur, which are being used for housing government offices/bungalows. It includes the DM, SSP, CMO bungalows and the Treasury.
Taking possession of these may pose some problems, feels a source close to him.