Interim Stay On Attachment Of Bikaner House Extended

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Tuesday extended the interim stay on the attachment of Bikaner House as the amount of Rs 92.2 lakh was deposited by Nagar Palika Nokha, Rajasthan, in the court. When the municipal body of Bikaner district informed the court that they were challenging the award order in Delhi High Court, the court of district judge Vidya Prakash (commercial courts) granted it one week to place on record any stay it might get from the high court. Otherwise, the amount will be released in favour of the company.
"Put up on Feb 1, 2025, for reply, if any, and arguments on the pending objections and for passing appropriate directions," said the court. The matter is related to an arbitration award passed in favour of a company for work done by it for Nagar Palika.
Built during Maharaja Ganga Singh's reign and inaugurated on Feb 18, 1929, Bikaner House was the royal family's Delhi residence. Post-restoration, it hosts various events, including art exhibitions, book launches and jazz performances, in its ballroom, gallery and lawns. On Nov 29, the court granted a conditional stay on the attachment of Bikaner House.
Meanwhile, during the hearing on Tuesday, the counsel for the company submitted before the court that there was a mismatch and deficiency in the amount deposited. The court asked the counsel for the company to clarify the mismatch by the next hearing. The court also asked the counsel for the State of Rajasthan to argue their objections in relation to the order passed by the court.
On Nov 29, the same court deferred the attachment of Bikaner House, allowing Rajasthan govt and Nokha Municipal Authority of Rajasthan a week to pay Rs 50.3 lakh owed to a private company through an arbitral award. Earlier, Rajasthan govt opposed the attachment, claiming that Bikaner House is not under municipal authority ownership. The next hearing was set for Jan 7 to verify compliance.
Following non-payment and repeated non-compliance with court directives in connection with a 2020 arbitral award to Enviro Infra Engineers for constructing a sewage treatment plant in Nokha, Rajasthan, an attachment order was issued for Bikaner House in Sept 2023.