'No memory left'

Khushwant Singh reacts to two civil suits involving his father Sobha Singh, which have been running in a local Delhi court for the last 49 yearsu00a0u00a0

Even deadly plastic containers decompose in 50 years. But talk of longevity and the court cases in our country can outlast anything, even the memory of the one of the sharpest and most scandalous writers of our times.

For 94-year-old Khushwant Singh, two civil suits involving his father Sir Sobha Singh, has paled into insignificance and the man with "malice towards one and all" does not remember anything about the cases filed in 1960.

"The case is so bloody old, I don't remember anything," he told MiD DAY.

"I don't have any memory left. I have grown old and my memory has become very weak. You better contact some one else to get details of the case," he said when asked whether he was still pursuing the cases registered in Tees Hazari courts.

When the legal luminaries are busy discussing the setting up of fast track courts, hundreds of people are engaged in fighting cases filed by their ancestors. And, they go on.

"My father had initiated the case and it's been almost five decades. I don't think any one even remembers anything about it," Singh added.

When prodded for a comment and asked about his son and brother, the Padma Vibhushan author known for his humor and abiding love for poetry said: "They have gone out of Delhi for vacation and I don't remember their mobile number or any other contact detail."

MiD DAY learnt that the cases have not moved beyond the trial stage.

"In fact, the content of the case is not known to many people. It is simply referred to as the oldest case in Delhi courts," said advocate Manish Khanna.

Khanna had filed a Right to Information (RTI) application, seeking details about the longest pending cases in Delhi courts.

"Recently the Delhi High Court had asked the lower court to put a ceiling of three years to resolve cases. But there is a huge backlog in all the courts," added Manish.u00a0

"The suit was probably related to several construction projects undertaken by Sir Sobha Singh. He was a very rich and influential man and the contractor of Lutyen's Delhi and several other important structures in the city," said a Tis Hazari court staff, requesting anonymity.