Veteran architect and INTACH Patna convener J K Lall dies of heart attack at 86

New Delhi, May 13

Veteran architect and INTACH Patna convener J K Lall, who was spearheading the legal fight to save the historic Patna Collectorate from demolition, died of a heart attack on Friday. He was 86.

Lall died on a day the Supreme Court gave its final word in the case related to the proposed demolition of the Dutch-era Patna Collectorate by the Bihar Government, bringing to an end a nearly three-year-old litigation. INTACH lost the legal battle.

The Bihar Government in early 2016 had planned to construct a new collectorate complex by dismantling the old structures, triggering protests from various quarters.

The then Dutch Ambassador, the UK-based Gandhi Foundation and the INTACH Chairman among others had appealed to the Bihar Government not to demolish the historic Patna Collectorate. They had urged the state to preserve it as a ”shared heritage” and ”signpost of history” as it is one of the last surviving Dutch structures in the city.

On Friday morning, ahead of the court hearing, when Lall was still alive, he had hoped for a positive outcome, family members said.

The veteran architect was suffering from heart-related complications.

Lall is survived by 81-year-old wife and their younger son. In December 2020, he lost his elder son and noted architect Vikram Lall, who died of a heart attack in Brussels.