Bihar Heritage Library Law Overturned by Supreme Court

Patna, Mar 12: The Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down a Bihar law that allowed the state to take over the Sinha Library, ruling that the provision for a token Rs 1 compensation was “illusory” and violated principles of fairness. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta set aside a 2024 Patna High Court order that had upheld the state’s takeover and directed that management and administration be restored to the original trust.

The top court criticized the Srimati Radhika Sinha Institute and Sachchidanand Sinha Library (Requisition & Management) Act, 2015 for being arbitrary, noting that the state had provided no communication to the trust regarding alleged mismanagement or financial irregularities before enacting the legislation. It highlighted that such sweeping divestiture, without prior notice or reasoned justification, reflected the arbitrary nature of the law.

Section 7 of the Act, which limited compensation to a nominal Rs 1, was described as confiscatory and arbitrary. The court emphasized that while Article 300A allows deprivation of property by law, such laws must be just, fair, and reasonable not arbitrary or confiscatory. The bench also ruled that the Act violated Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality before law.

Founded by Sachchidananda Sinha in 1924 and inaugurated by Sir Henry Wheeler, the library has been a century old centre of learning in Patna. Officially named the ‘Srimati Radhika Sinha Institute and Sachchidananda Sinha Library,’ it was commonly referred to as Sinha Library and was managed by the original trust until the enactment of the now struck down legislation.

The Supreme Court’s verdict restores the library’s management to the trust and underscores the judiciary’s stance against arbitrary legislation affecting heritage institutions.