On World Heritage Day, process to auction Jagatjit Club gets underway
On World Heritage Day today, an auction notice was put up outside the historic Jagatjit Club of Kapurthala. The notice formally kick-started the process to auction the over 115-year-old Greco-Roman building, a symbol of Kapurthala’s pride.
Ironically, the notice coincided with French Ambassador Dr Thierry Mathou and his wife’s visit to the town. Dr Mathou, who was on a private visit, toured the French-inspired architectural marvels in the town that flourished under Francophile Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala. One of these marvels is Jagatjit Club, a testimony to the Maharaja’s vision, which is scheduled to go under the hammer on May 9 as per a district court order of April 2.
The Kapurthala administration yesterday filed an application in the district court, seeking a recall of its April 2 order and a stay on the club’s auction.
The application filed by the Land Acquisition Collector-cum-Phagwara SDM stated, “Jagatjit Club is a building representing the community, history, identity and cultural value of Kapurthala town. In a number of judgments, the apex court has held that the principle of preservation of historical buildings should take precedence over private debts, and an alternative remedy should be explored.”
The application further stated, “The sale value of the property is more than Rs 70 crore, which has been attached to satisfy the alleged decretal amount of over Rs 1.42 crore. Attaching the entire property is quite disproportionate to the dues.” The application also raised several other points, questioning the claims of the party seeking the compensation.
The applicant sought recalling of the April 2 order. “Further, the order to sell the attached property may also be recalled and the attached property be released in the interest of justice,” stated the applicant.
The application will come up for hearing on April 23 to know the petitioner’s response to it.
Notably, the state had earlier filed a Civil Revision in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against an order dated October 11, 2023, vide which the objections raised by it against the attachment of the property of Jagatjit Club in the land compensation case had been dismissed. The next date of hearing on the Civil Revision is May 1.
Punjab