>Arjayay at 08:51, 10 May 2021

2021-05-10T08:51:01Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox building
| name = Jinnah House
| native_name =
| image =
| map_type =
| building_type = [[Bungalow]]
| architectural_style = [[Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture|Indo-Saracenic]]
| classification =
| location = [[Mumbai]], [[Maharashtra]]<br> [[India]]
| address = 2, Bhausaheb Hirey Marg, [[Malabar Hill]], [[Mumbai]]
| coordinates = {{coord|18.9532|72.8014|display=title}}
| altitude =
| current_tenants = Unoccupied
| namesake =
| start_date = 1936
| completion_date =
| client =
| owner = [[Government of India]]
| height =
| diameter =
| other_dimensions =
| floor_count =
| floor_area =
| architect = [[Claude Batley]]
| url =
}}

'''Jinnah House''' is an unoccupied house in [[Malabar Hill]], a premium neighbourhood of the city of [[Mumbai]] in [[India]] associated with [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]], the founder of Pakistan.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Dutta|first=Prabhash K.|date=1 April 2017|title=Story of Jinnah House where partition of India was discussed|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/jinnah-house-malabar-hill-mumbai-968908-2017-04-01|access-date=2020-08-11|website=India Today|language=en}}</ref> It is also known as '''South Court''' and '''Malabar Hill mansion.'''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jun 25|first=TNN /|last2=2008|last3=Ist|first3=04:16|title=Don't call it Jinnah House, says daughter {{!}} Mumbai News - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Dont-call-it-Jinnah-House-says-daughter/articleshow/3161904.cms|access-date=2020-08-11|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref> It was built by [[Mohammad Ali Jinnah]] and remained his main residence for 10 years until he left in 1946 for [[Karachi]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Will the Government Finally Take a Decision About Mumbai's Jinnah House? |url=https://thewire.in/politics/will-government-finally-take-decision-mumbais-jinnah-house |accessdate=18 March 2019 |publisher=The Wire |date=4 April 2017}}</ref>

==History==
The house was built by Jinnah in 1936 at a then exorbitant price of 2 [[Lakh]] (200,000) [[Indian rupee|rupees]]. This was after Jinnah returned to Bombay from [[England]] to take charge of the [[All-India Muslim League|Muslim League]]. The [[bungalow]] is located at 2, Bhausaheb Hirey Marg (formerly
Mount Pleasant Rd) in [[Malabar Hill]], [[South Mumbai]]. It is situated near the current residence of the [[Chief Minister of Maharashtra]]. Jinnah lived in the house till [[Partition of India]] in 1947, after which he moved to [[Karachi]] in Pakistan. He also had a bungalow in Delhi on the erstwhile Aurangzeb road (now called APJ Kalam road) which has currently been leased to the Dutch consulate.<ref>{{cite news|date=28 March 2017|title=Revellers take festival to Jinnah House in Mumbai|publisher=Economic Times|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/revellers-take-festival-to-jinnah-house-in-mumbai/articleshow/57873927.cms|accessdate=8 August 2020}}</ref>

Designed by architect [[Claude Batley]] in the European-style architecture, the [[Arabian Sea|sea facing]] palatial bungalow was constructed using exquisite [[Carrara|Italian marble]] and [[walnut]] woodwork. Specially imported [[Italy|Italian]] stonemasons were employed for its construction with Jinnah personally supervising the construction "brick by brick". The property encompasses an area of {{convert|10000|m2|acre|1}}. The mansion, with its pointed arches and impressive columns, is currently in a dilapidated state, and much of the walnut panelling has rotted.

During 1941, it was speculated that the house was to be sold to the Dalmia family for 20 Lakh rupees. Upon receiving a query by his daughter Dina Wadia on this, Jinnah himself dismissed this purported sale as "wild rumour".<ref name="dawn_naqvi_11_2017">{{Cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1368925|title=Two daughters and sons-in-law|last=Naqvi|first=Jawed|date=2017-11-07|work=dawn.com|access-date=2017-12-26|language=en-US}}</ref>

The historic building was also the venue for the watershed talks on the [[Partition of India]] in September 1944 between Jinnah and [[Mahatma Gandhi]]. On 15 August 1946, exactly a year before India gained independence, another round of talks was held here between Jinnah and [[Jawaharlal Nehru]].<ref name=":0" />

Currently the property is owned by the government of India. [[Dina Wadia]], Jinnah's daughter who married an Indian and settled in India after the partition, had been involved in litigation regarding the house claiming that [[Hindu law]] is applicable to Jinnah as he was a [[Khoja]] [[Shia]] Muslim.

==Mansion inhabitants==
Jinnah was extremely attached to his house. After the partition of India in 1947, Mumbai remained a part of India and Jinnah left his abode as he became the [[Governor General of Pakistan]]. He requested [[Jawaharlal Nehru|Nehru]], the then [[Prime Minister of India|Indian Prime Minister]] to allot his house to any foreign consulate, preferably [[Europe]]an, as he wished it to be given to a European family who would appreciate the architecture. Nehru acceded to Jinnah's request and offered him a monthly rent of three thousand rupees. Unfortunately, Jinnah died in September 1948 before the deal could be finalised.

As a personal favour to Jinnah, Nehru did not declare the property an [[Custodian for Enemy Property for India|Enemy Property]]. In 1955, in a [[Cabinet (government)|Cabinet]] speech he suggested it be given to the [[Government of Pakistan]], but could not gain the sanction of the Cabinet. Though India's Foreign minister and the Indian High Commission suggested that the mansion be handed over to Pakistan in 1956, the suggestion was not taken up.

The premises were leased to the [[United Kingdom|British]] High Commission as the residence of the Deputy High Commissioner from 1948 to 1983. The first floor of the building also held the offices of senior Commission officials. It remained vacant until 2003, when a part of it was given to the [[Indian Council for Cultural Relations]] to be used for cultural activities. In March 2005, India's Minister of State for External Affairs, [[E. Ahamed]] reiterated that the house would remain a cultural centre.

==Ownership dispute==

Pakistan had since 1979 requested that India sell the property, or at least lease it to its government as a tribute to its founder in order to convert it into their Consulate. Though [[P. V. Narasimha Rao]], India's foreign minister in 1980, agreed in principle to lease ''Jinnah House'' as the residence of local Consulate-General of Pakistan, the plan was never realised.

During his visit to India, then Pakistani President [[Pervez Musharraf]] had suggested to the then Indian Prime Minister [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] that the house be given to Pakistan so that it could be turned into a consulate. Talks in June 2004 between the foreign ministers of the two countries over the land did not gain any guarantees from India.

In May 2005, Pakistan High Commission officials were shown around various properties in Mumbai and its suburbs for the setting up of its consulate but not the Jinnah House. Indian government sources say that the claim by the Jinnah's heirs ''will be treated "sympathetically", and have no intention of handing it to Pakistan. ''

[[Dina Wadia]], the only child of [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah|Jinnah]], was involved in litigation regarding Jinnah House claiming that Hindu Law is applicable to Jinnah as he was a [[Khoja]] [[Shia]].

It was also campaigned to make ''Jinnah House'', India-Pakistan Friendship Centre by a group of peace activists from [[Mumbai]] and [[Karachi]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Correspondent|first=The Newspaper's|date=2016-06-29|title=Campaign to make Jinnah’s Mumbai house hub of friendship|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1267917|access-date=2020-08-11|website=DAWN.COM|language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Jinnah family]]
* [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]]
* [[Dina Wadia]]
* [[Central Wakf Council]]
* [[Custodian for Enemy Property for India]]
* [[Evacuee Trust Property Board]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
# {{note|million}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20050428070525/http://www.himalmag.com/september2001/voices.html Jinnah’s bungalow], [http://www.himalmag.com Himal Southasian magazine], September 2001
# ''Jinnah's daughter stakes new claim'', Indrani Bagchi/[[Times News Network|TNN]], The ''[[Times of India]]'', Bombay; pg 1, 2005-05-24
# ''Wadia cites Rushdie case in house takeover plea'', Indrani Bagchi/[[Times News Network|TNN]], The ''[[Times of India]]'', Bombay; pg 8, 2005-05-24
# ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20050409133541/http://www.milligazette.com/Archives/2004/01-15Sep04-Print-Edition/011509200404.htm The House Jinnah built]'', Rizvi Syed Haider Abbas, [http://www.milligazette.com/ The Milli Gazette], 1–15 September 2004
# ''[http://in.rediff.com/news/2003/aug/07jinnah.htm Jinnah's house handed over to ICCR]'', [[Press Trust of India|PTI]], [http://in.rediff.com Rediff.com], 2003-08-07
# ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20090422024155/http://www.indianexpress.com/story_print.php?storyid=372877 Muslim law does not apply to Jinnah, says daughter]''
# ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20081208143829/http://www.deccanherald.com/CONTENT/Aug192007/finearts2007081819951.asp Into Jinnah House]''

[[Category:Buildings and structures in Mumbai]]
[[Category:History of Mumbai]]
[[Category:Houses in India]]

Jinnah House - Revision history

>Arjayay at 08:51, 10 May 2021