Jinnah’s Daughter Dina Wadia Dies, Leaves Behind Disputed Property

She was Jinnah’s only daughter, born to his second wife Rattanbai Petit in London, ironically on 15 August 1919.

Dina Wadia, daughter of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, passed away on Thursday, 2 November, in New York. She was aged 98.

Wadia was Jinnah’s only daughter, born to his second wife Rattanbai Petit in London, ironically on 15 August 1919. She is survived by her son, Nusli Wadia, and grandsons Ness and Jehangir Wadia.

Wadia’s relations with her father soured early in her life, when she expressed her wish to marry outside the religion. In 1938, the father-daughter rift further widened when Dina married a Parsi tycoon – Neville Wadia – forcing her father to adopt a curt, formal attitude towards her.

In fact, Jinnah’s assistant, Muhammad Currim Chagla, in his biography mentions:

Jinnah, in his usual imperious manner, told Dina that there were millions of Muslim boys in India, and she could have anyone she chose. But she reminded her father he had married a non-Muslim, to which Jinnah replied that ‘she did embrace Islam.’

When Jinnah left India for Pakistan in 1947, the relations had all but reached estrangement. Wadia then visited Pakistan in 1948 to attend her father’s funeral.

Pak Pays Condolences

Pakistan's top leadership expressed their condolences over the death of Dina Wadia on Friday, saying the only daughter of the country's founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah was a greatly respected and admired figure.

The Foreign Office in a message said that President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi "expressed deepest condolences, on behalf of the people and government of Pakistan, on the passing away of Ms Dina Wadia".

Mr Nusli Wadia, Mrs Dina Wadia’s son has been conveyed the sadness of the Pakistani nation, on the demise of their beloved mother who was greatly respected and admired in Pakistan. May she rest in peace.

Pakistan Foreign Office

She visited Pakistan after partition, first when Jinnah died in 1948 and the second time in 2004.

Dina is survived by her son and Wadia group chairman Nusli N Wadia, daughter Diana N Wadia and great grandsons Ness and Jeh Wadia.

Died Fighting Legal Battle for The Jinnah House

The seafront bungalow on Malabar Hill built by Pakistan founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah was at the centre of a prolonged battle between his daughter Dina Wadia and the Indian government.

Her petition to regain control of her childhood home is still pending for a final hearing the before a division bench of the Bombay High Court.

The palatial 'Jinnah House', originally known as South Court, was witness to meetings of the Muslim League and a crucial meeting between Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Jinnah before partition.

In 2007, Pakistan's then president Pervez Musharraf had expressed his desire to acquire the house as Pakistan's property to convert it into a consulate.

The same year (in August 2007), Wadia (then 88), knocked the doors of the Bombay High Court with a petition claiming that the title of the mansion be handed over to her as she was the only heir to Jinnah.

In her petition, she said she wished to spend her remaining years in the house in Mumbai where she had spent her childhood years. She claimed that the bungalow could not be classified as "evacuee property" as her father had died without leaving behind a will.

The petition last came up for hearing before a division bench of Justices S V Gangapurwala and A M Badar on 28 July this year which adjourned it simply to 7 September. It has not come up for hearing since then.

Soon after her petition was filed, the high court had directed the Union government to file their affidavit in response.

In October 2007, the government filed its affidavit stating that the Jinnah House belongs to the government and that only Jinnah's sister Fatima or her legal heir can claim right over the property.

According to Wadia, the state of Bombay took over the property, because Fatima was the trustee of Jinnah's will, and had been declared an evacuee (those who migrated to Pakistan post-partition) in 1949. Fatima, therefore, could not be the legal owner and so the house should be handed over to his (Jinnah) legal heir.

Also, she (Wadia) is the sole legal heir of Jinnah's property, both under Hindu Law (applicable to Khoja community – to which Jinnah belonged – before Independence) or the Shia Muslim law, her petition claims.

In its reply, the Union government had claimed that her petition is not maintainable, and is barred by prolonged and unexplained delay.

The reply filed by G Balasubramanian, deputy secretary to the Ministry of External Affairs, had stated that Government of India had issued a notification on 27 June 1949 under the Bombay Evacuee Property Act, by which the possession of Jinnah House was vested with the Custodian.

On 10 June 1955, another notification was issued under the Displaced Persons (Compensation and Rehabilitation) Act, by which the right, title and interest was vested in Government of India.

Jinnah had bequeathed the Jinnah House to his unmarried sister Fatima by his will dated 30 May 1939. Fatima migrated to Pakistan at the time of partition, and was declared an evacuee, and hence, the property was taken over by the Indian government under the Bombay Evacuee Property Act, the affidavit filed by the government had said.

In August 2010, the high court had ordered for status quo to be maintained in the matter, but had permitted the Centre to complete the renovation work of the bungalow without making any structural changes.

Wadia wanted the mansion built by her father in 1936 at a cost of Rs 2 lakh, and be called the ‘South Court’.

(With inputs from PTI)

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