Savarkar Sadan not 100 years old, can't be centrally protected: ASI tells Bombay HC

Mumbai: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has informed the Bombay High Court that 'Savarkar Sadan', the residence of Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, cannot be declared a centrally protected monument, as the structure falls short of the 100-year age requirement.

The ASI, however, suggested that the building in the Shivaji Park area of Dadar in central Mumbai can be protected if it is included in the heritage list of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) or the state-protected monument list.

The move would prevent the demolition of the structure and ensure its preservation in the future, the ASI said in its affidavit last week.

The affidavit was filed in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Abhinav Bharat Congress, a public charitable trust.

Built in 1938 in the Shivaji Park area, Savarkar Sadan housed the Hindutva ideologue and freedom fighter until his death in 1966.

Historical records reveal that the premises hosted several significant meetings, including with Subhas Chandra Bose in 1940 and with Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte in 1948.

The PIL sought a direction that the building be declared a "monument of national importance".

The ASI, in its response, stated that it only preserves monuments or sites of national importance, declared protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, by the Centre.

It also cited that an ancient structure should be more than 100 years old to be declared a centrally protected monument of national importance.

Savarkar Sadan is a "significantly important building", originally built in 1938 as a ground-plus-one bungalow with three flats on the ground floor and two on the first, the affidavit stated.

The matter is likely to be heard next week by a bench led by Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar.