Mumbai: In a U-turn, the Centre informed the Bombay High Court on Monday that under the Central laws it would not be possible for it to convert the bungalow of nuclear scientist Homi J Bhabha into a museum and hence Maharashtra government has been asked to consider it.
Two months ago, the Centre had told the court that it was considering to take over the bungalow for turning it into a museum in public interest. State's counsel Geeta Shastri told a bench headed by Chief Justice Mohit Shah on Monday that a proposal to convert the bungalow at posh Malabar Hill into a heritage monument was under active consideration of Maharashtra government and a decision would be taken soon.
The judges asked the state to inform after two weeks its decision on the issue. The sea-facing bungalow 'Mehrangir' was recently sold to a businessman for over Rs 300 crore at an auction by the National Centre for Performing Arts, its custodian.
The court was hearing a PIL filed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre employees represented by Atomic Energy Workers and Staff Union of BARC president Prashant Worlikar and President of National Forum for Aided Institutions Employees (Department of Atomic Energy) Raam Vitthal Dhuri.
The petitioners had prayed for a direction to stay the bungalow's auction and convert it into a museum. The court, however, had not stayed the auction but said that it will hear the government's point of view on the issue during the hearing of the PIL. The judges felt that the government can acquire the bungalow any time, if it so wanted.
The PIL said, "The late Homi Jehangir Bhabha was a renowned person throughout the world and an asset to our country. He spent all his lifetime in the bungalow and also ran his office from here." Bhabha is the father of Atomic Research Centre in India. In such circumstances, the bungalow owned and possessed by the late Homi Jehangir Bhabha can very well fall under the four corners of being a heritage structure and is required to be preserved," the petition said.
An affidavit filed earlier by an Under Secretary in the Department of Atomic Energy said, "The Office of the Prime Minister of India has written a letter to the Department of Legal Affairs to present the Central government's viewpoint before the court."
"The office of the Prime Minister is exploring possibilities of adopting appropriate proceedings to acquire Homi Bhabha's property to retain his memory so as to maintain it as monument," the affidavit said. The affidavit also stated that the Department of Atomic Energy had urged the state government to declare the bungalow as a protected monument under the Maharashtra Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1960.
The affidavit further added that making the bungalow a museum-cum-exhibition centre would inspire the youth of India and would be a great tribute to Homi Bhabha. Bhabha lived at 'Mehrangir', one of Mumbai's landmarks, for several years before his death in an air crash in the French Alps in January 1966, following which his brother Jamshed J Bhabha became the custodian of the property.
A patron of fine arts and culture, Jamshed J Bhabha looked after the property till his death in 2007 after which it was transferred to the NCPA, an institution he had nurtured.
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