Peshawar High Court dismisses petition seeking ownership of the historic Kapoor Haveli

According to news agency PTI, the Peshawar High Court has dismissed a petition seeking ownership of the Kapoor Haveli, a historic property in the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. The mansion was once owned by the family of legendary Bollywood actor Raj Kapoor and was declared a national heritage site by the provincial government in 2016. The bench, comprising Justices Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Abdul Shakoor, dismissed the case in light of a previous judgment concerning the acquisition process of another historic property, the Dilip Kumar Haveli, which was also located in Peshawar’s Qissa Khwani Bazaar and was declared a national heritage site by the federal government.

During the court proceedings, the Additional Advocate General of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province confirmed that the Kapoor Haveli had been recognised as a national heritage site by the provincial archaeology department through a notification issued in 2016. However, Justice Shakoor raised doubts about the department’s claim and asked if there were any documents that could verify the Kapoor family’s ownership or residency in the Haveli.

The petitioner, Saeed Muhammad, argued that his father had won the bid for the mansion in 1969 and had remained its absolute owner until the provincial government initiated an acquisition process. He also stated that there was no evidence to suggest that the Kapoor family had ever owned or lived in the property.

After hearing both sides of the argument, the bench ruled that the matter should be taken to a civil court for further deliberation and resolution.

Currently, the Kapoor Haveli is in a state of disrepair, and its current owners are eager to demolish the structure and replace it with a commercial plaza due to its prime location. However, the archaeology department is steadfast in its determination to preserve the mansion, given its significant historical value. The property was built between 1918 and 1922 and is located in Peshawar’s Qissa Khwani Bazaar. It was the birthplace of Raj Kapoor and his uncle Trilok Kapoor, and it has also been visited by Raj Kapoor’s nephews, Rishi Kapoor and Randhir Kapoor, in the 1990s.