Calcutta High Court seeks documents on Jalpaiguri Rajbari’s heritage status
Jalpaiguri: The Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench of the Calcutta High Court has directed the State Heritage Commission to submit the necessary documents related to the heritage status of the Jalpaiguri
Rajbari (palace.)
The court was hearing a case filed by the Rajbari family, which is seeking the cancellation of the heritage status granted to the historic palace. The case, which was heard on Thursday by Justice Tirthankar Ghosh, has been adjourned to February 10 due to the Commission’s failure to submit the required documents.
In 2007, the State Heritage Commission declared Jalpaiguri Rajbari a heritage site based on a recommendation from the Jalpaiguri History Research and Heritage Forum. However, the Rajbari family, led by Rani Pratibha Devi’s descendants, contested this decision, filing a lawsuit in the Circuit Bench last year.
Prior to the current hearing, a division bench of the High Court had directed the Rajbari’s protection as a heritage site and ordered an administrative survey of the property in 2023. The district administration, along with the Jalpaiguri Municipality and the Heritage Commission, submitted affidavits to the court confirming the survey’s completion. At present, the Rajbari is still occupied by members of the Bose family, with one side of the palace being renovated by Pranat Bose and Soumya Bose, while the other part of the building is in a deteriorating condition.
Public Prosecutor Hirak Barman confirmed that the judge directed the Commission to provide the essential documents by the next hearing
date, February 10. Pranat Bose’s lawyer, Aniruddha Biswas, stated, “We objected to the heritage status of the Rajbari, and the hearing has been postponed due to the Commission’s failure to submit the necessary documentation.” Another royal descendant Gourishankar Deb Rayakat’s lawyer, Naren Das, expressed confusion over the Commission’s delay in providing the relevant documents, despite declaring the Rajbari a heritage site in 2007.
