Patna, (BiharTimes) March 11 In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court has struck down a Bihar law that allowed the State Government to take over the historic Sinha Library in Patna, holding that the provision of token compensation of just ₹1 for such acquisition was arbitrary and unconstitutional.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta set aside a 2024 judgment of the Patna High Court that had earlier upheld the takeover.
Declaring the legislation invalid, the court said, “The Srimati Radhika Sinha Institute and Sachchidanand Sinha Library (Requisition & Management) Act, 2015 is declared unconstitutional and is accordingly struck down.”
The bench also directed that the management and administration of the library be restored to its original trust.
Located in the heart of Patna, the two-storey heritage structure is widely known as Sinha Library. The Supreme Court noted that the Bihar government had not issued any communication to the trust or its trustees alleging mismanagement, financial irregularities, neglect, or failure to fulfil the objectives of the institution before passing the law to take over its management.
The court observed that a measure with such sweeping consequences — involving the complete takeover of an institution that has existed for nearly a century — could not be based on assumptions that were never communicated to those running it.
“This itself is a powerful indicator of the arbitrary character of the legislative action,” the bench said.
In sharp criticism of the legislation, the court pointed out that Section 7 of the Act allowed the state to pay compensation up to a maximum of ₹1 for the acquisition. The bench said such a provision not only aggravated arbitrariness but also gave “unguided discretion” to the state, reducing compensation to a merely nominal and illusory amount.
The judgment emphasised that while Article 300A permits the deprivation of property by authority of law, the law itself must be just, fair, and reasonable, and cannot be arbitrary or confiscatory in nature.
Describing the ownership transfer mechanism under the Act as “confiscatory”, the court held that the legislation was manifestly arbitrary and violated Article 14 of the Constitution.
“The manner in which this power of acquisition is exercised is excessive, unreasoned and disproportionate to the stated objective of better management and development,” the court observed.
The library was founded by Sachchidananda Sinha and inaugurated on February 9, 1924 by Sir Henry Wheeler. Officially named the Srimati Radhika Sinha Institute and Sachchidananda Sinha Library, it was dedicated to Sinha’s wife but came to be popularly known as Sinha Library.
Sachchidananda Sinha, regarded as one of the architects of modern Bihar, also served as the provisional president of the Constituent Assembly of India when it first convened in 1946.
Before the state law was enacted, the institution was managed by the Srimati Radhika Sinha Institute and Sachchidananda Sinha Library Trust.
The Supreme Court’s ruling restores control of the historic institution to the trust, bringing an end to a decade-long legal battle over the library’s management.
