The Centre has filed an affidavit in the Bombay High Court, contending that Jinnah House belongs to it.

Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s daughter Dina Wadia filed a petition in the Bombay High Court in August this year, to acquire possession of Jinnah House. The property, residence of the late leader, Mr Mohammed Ali Jinnah, is located in the plush Malabar Hill locality of South Mumbai.

The High Court had then asked the Centre to clarify its stand. Accordingly, an affidavit filed on Thursday by the Additional Solicitor General’s office stated that the house was owned by the Centre.

The case is likely to come up for hearing this week or the next. Ms Wadia, 88, demands that the title of the house should be handed over to her, as she is the only heir to Jinnah. According to her, the erstwhile  state of Bombay took over the property, as Jinnah’s sister Fatima was the trustee of his will and 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. Ms Fatima, therefore, could not be the legal owner. So, the house had to be handed over to his legal heir.

Her petition claims that 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.