High court directs Oberoi group to handover Hotel wildflower hall to Himachal Govt
Shimla, Jan 5,
In a major victory for the Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu led State government, the East India hotels Ltd (EIH), who are running the heritage luxury 5- star resort Hotel Wildflower Hall have been directed to handover the possession of the property to the Himachal Pradesh Government in a period of two months. The matter was heard by a single bench of Justice Satyen Vaidya, titled EIH Ltd and others versus State of H.P and others and listed now on March 15, for compliance.
Allowing the execution petition of the Government of Himachal Pradesh, the court dismissed the review petition of the Oberoi group. A detailed order is expected soon in this matter.
This case reached the doorsteps of High court when on November 18, 2023, the State government-initiated proceedings to take possession of this 500-crore worth 5-star property, situated in the outskirt of this capital town. The Himachal Pradesh Government, initiated this action after winning a decade long legal battle against the International Hospitality Oberoi Group.
Also read: https://himachalscape.com/hp-high-court-stays-government-proceedings-for-possession-of-oberois-hotel-wildflower-hall/
However, responding to the State government takeover proceedings, the Oberoi group moved High court of Himachal Pradesh, wherein a stay was granted on the government action.
Also read: https://himachalscape.com/hp-high-court-stays-government-proceedings-for-possession-of-oberois-hotel-wildflower-hall/
Though the international hospitality group was seeking a review in the matter through the court, but the Government of Himachal kept a consistent stance to take back possession of the said property. Additional Advocate General IN Mehta after a December hearing in a media statement said that, in response to the court’s query regarding the government’s stance on the property, the state clarified that the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) warranted possession of the property, and an application had already been submitted to the court.
Even, the Himachal CM Sukhwinder Sukhu had stated that this case has been ongoing for 22 years and emphasized that the state has not received a single penny for the 126 bighas of land given on lease. There was an agreement between the government and the Oberoi Group, but revenue-equity has not been given to the Himachal government for the last 25-30 years. The government suffered a loss of crores due to this. Sukhu had mentioned that about Rs 120 crore was due to be given to Himachal by the Oberoi Group, but it was not received.
Also read: https://himachalscape.com/wildflower-hall-law-suit-major-set-back-to-oberoi-group-as-hp-hc-dismisses-decades-old-litigation/
The former residence of Lord Kitchener, the former Commander of the British Army, Wild Flower Hall is currently a 5-star resort that offers the ambiance of a grand stately home. In 1909, after Lord Kitchener returned to England, Wild Flower Hall was sold to Robert Hotz and his wife. In 1925, after demolishing the old house, Hotz built a fine three-story hotel. After independence, the hotel was taken over by the Government of India and given to the Himachal Government to run an Agricultural University. Later, it was taken over by Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) in 1973, which operated until 1993. It was due to an electrical short circuit that a fire reduced the wooden hotel to ashes on April 5, 1993.
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