The Central government has filed an affidavit in the Bombay High Court staking claim on Jinnah House.
Mohammad Ali Jinnah's daughter Dina Wadia filed a petition in the Bombay High Court, in August this year, for acquiring possession of Jinnah House, the late leader's residence in plush Malbar Hill locality of South Mumbai.
The high court had then asked the Union government to clarify its stand. Accordingly, an affidavit was filed on Thursday by the Additional Solicitor General's office stating that the house belongs to Central government.
The case is likely to come up for hearing next week.
Wadia, 88, mother of textile magnate Nusli Wadia of the Bombay Dyeing group, claims that the title of the house be handed over to her as she is the sole heir to Jinnah.
According to Wadia, the (then) state of Bombay took over the property, because Jinnah's sister Fatima, who was the trustee of Jinnah's will, had been declared an evacuee (those who migrated to Pakistan post-partition) in 1949.
However, Wadia now says that her father's will was not probated by the Bombay High Court and therefore had no effect on any operation of law. Fatima, therefore, could not be the legal owner and so the house should be handed over to his legal heir.
Also, she is the sole legal heir of Jinnah's property, both under Hindu Law (applicable to Khoja community -- to which Jinnah belonged -- before independence) or the Shia Muslim law, her petition claims.
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