HC seeks Rushdies' stand on plea against order on value of their ancestral home

The Delhi High Court Friday sought response of legal representatives of Anis Ahmed Rushdie, father of Salman Rushdie, on a plea challenging its single judge order on the dispute between the Rushdies and former Congress leader Bhiku Ram Jain's family over the renowned writer's ancestral home.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar issued notice to the Rushdies seeking their stand by March 27 on the appeal by Jain's side against the single judge's order of December 24, 2019.

The single judge in his order had pegged the property's market value to be Rs 130 crore, as on December 2012, and held that if the Jains are unable to purchase it at that price, then the Rushdies have to sell the house within six months at the said price as they had claimed earlier that they had a buyer who would pay that amount.

Rushdie's father had in 1970 agreed to sell the ancestral house, in the posh Civil Lines area here, to Bhiku Ram Jain for Rs 3.75 lakh. However, the deal did not go through due to a dispute between the two sides.

The dispute had gone all the way to the Supreme Court, which on December 3, 2012 ruled in favour of the Jains and directed the Rushdies to hand over the house for the market price as on that date.

The apex court, however, had left it to the Delhi High Court to determine the market value of the property on that date.

The high court, on December 24 last, had determined the market value of the property, as on December 3, 2012, to be Rs 130 crore, since the Rushdies said they had a buyer to purchase the house at that price.

While arriving at the figure, the single judge had also said that if the Rushdies were unable to sell the house for minimum Rs 130 crore within the given time, 60 days from then, the Jains would be entitled to purchase the property for Rs 75 crore which was the circle rate prevailing on December 4, 2012.

The order further said that if the Jains cannot purchase the property for Rs 75 crore, the Rushdies would stand relieved of the agreement entered into by both sides in 1970 with regard to the house.

The Jains, in their appeal, have challenged all aspects of the single judge's decision.