Former Delhi High Court Justice Poonam Bamba launched her coffee-table book “Patiala House: Palace To Seat Of Justice” here recently.

The book was launched on Tuesday in the presence of Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, Acting Chief Justice of Delhi High Court Justice Manmohan and Justice Navin Chawla among the other dignitaries.

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Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena said, “I feel that heritage buildings should be revived and their history should be properly documented. Justice Poonam Bamba has done a commendable job by capturing the charm, beauty and architecture of the iconic Patiala House in this book.”

The book is a captivating exploration of history, architecture and justice.

“Ms. Kamaldeep Kaur, maternal aunt of Capt. Amrinder Singh was the only one who could give me extensive information on the Patiala House,” said Bamba. She gave information on how the Maharaja allowed the migrants to live there after partition and many other anecdotes mentioned in the book.

Besides the history and architectural grandeur, Justice Bamba provides an in-depth look at some of the most significant courtroom trials in India’s history. From the proceedings of the Parliament attack case to Jessica Lal murder trial to the BMW hit and run case and Phoolan Devi’s murder, Patiala House court complex with its 100 year old heritage has been showcased in this book.

Justice Navin Chawla said, “Ultimately, it’s a court and I just saw it as a court building. I never envisaged the historical significance this building has and the monumental structure it is.”

Justice Bamba, chairperson of Delhi Police Complaints Authority, also felt that the Patiala House’s significant architectural marvels are often overlooked by the people going in-and-out every day, which is one of the many reasons why she penned this concise book.

Adding on to it, the Lieutenant Governor says, “I myself have been trying to achieve the goal of conserving, restoring and preserving the capital’s historical monuments. Despite many hurdles the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has slowly started transforming the heritage sites like that of Tomb of Balban, St.James Church and many more.”

While talking about the architecture and reorganization of the Patiala House, Justice Manmohan said that they had a number of dreams regarding the reorientation of the Patiala House. However, maintaining the building is a challenge along with the system and authorities.

“We have a blueprint of reorganization of Patiala House but the main stumbling block is that it is shown in the master plan as ‘social use’ rather than ‘institutional’ and we are trying to get it converted but the planners insist its use is social,” he added.

This book tells Patiala House’s history from when the British gave this land to all the imperial rulers to set their houses in and around India Gate, to it being a seat of justice. It also holds anecdotal history from judges over time.

“The common people need to know about such archaeological wonders that our forefathers have built,” added Saxena.

The book is published by indie publishing house, Vitasta.