ANURAG KRISHNA SINHA Vs. STATE OF BIHAR

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The present appeal challenges the final judgment and order dtd. 29/2/2024 passed by the High Court of Judicature at Patna in Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case No.7940 of 2015 whereby the appellant's writ petition has been dismissed by the High Court while upholding the validity of the Srimati Radhika Sinha Institute and Sachchidanand Sinha Library (Requisition & Management) Act, 2015 [Hereinafter, "The Act".].

(2.) The case before us concerns the Smt. Radhika Sinha Institute and Sachchidanand Sinha Library [Hereinafter, "Institute & Library".], an institution that has been in existence for nearly a century. To appreciate the controversy, it is necessary to briefly trace the history of the Institute & Library and the circumstances in which it was established.

(3.) The Institute and Library were established in the year 1924 by Shri Sachichidanand Sinha [The "Settlor".], a distinguished public figure of his time and a prominent son of the State of Bihar, who served as the first President of the Constituent Assembly for an interim period. The Institute & Library was founded in memory of his wife, Smt. Radhika Sinha. For this purpose, Shri Sachichidanand Sinha addressed a letter to the then Governor of Bihar and Orissa, offering a sum of Rs.50,000.00 from the sale proceeds of ancestral property belonging to Smt. Radhika Sinha. The offer was accepted, and the foundation stone was laid on 28/3/1922. The construction of the buildings for the Institute and Library was completed using the said amount.