Culture body says focus on Jinnah House repair for now

MUMBAI: On Sunday, Indian Council for Cultural Research (ICCR) president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and BJP leader Mangal Prabhat Lodha visited South Court, informally known as Jinnah House, to review its current condition and plan for the future.“The property is legally in the possession of the ICCR,” said Sahasrabuddhe. “It requires a huge amount of repair and renovation and that has unfortunately not happened all through these years. So, firstly, we will be undertaking the rejuvenation of the building and then we will decide how best we can utilize it.”In March 2017, Lodha had demanded that Jinnah House, the former residence of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, be razed and a cultural centre be built in its place. After his visit on Sunday, Lodha tweeted that the house would be revamped and his proposal for a cultural centre had been accepted “in principle”. Sahasrabuddhe clarified that converting the property into cultural venue for foreign dignitaries along the line of Hyderabad House in Delhi was just one of many proposals being considered.South Court was built by Jinnah in 1936 on a 2.5-acre plot and remained his main residence until he moved to Karachi after partition. The sprawling white mansion with its pointed arches and imposing columns, built by Claude Batley, was neglected for many years while India, Pakistan and Jinnah’s heirs fought over possession.