Sobha Singh (builder)

Sobha Singh (builder) Biography

Sir Sobha Singh was an Indian builder and contractor who lived in the 20^th century. He was a principal contractor during the construction of New Delhi during 1911–1930 in British India. He is also remembered as being one of the witnesses of the prosecution in the 1929 Assembly Bomb Case. He identified and testified against Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt, and later Bhagat Singh and his associates - Sukhdev and Rajguru were sentenced to death, which is regarded as one of the dark chapters of British rule in India. Famous Indian writer and lawyer Khushwant Singh is the son of Sobha Singh.

Sobha Singh was born in British Punjab in 1890 into a rich family which owned vast farms and agricultural land. His birthplace now belongs to Pakistan. His father was a trader. His younger brother Sardar Ujjal Singh was an Indian politician, parliamentarian from Punjab and administrator who served as the governor of two Indian states in the 1960s in the post-independent era. He was also known as a financial expert. Following partition, his family were forced to move to India leaving behind vast family property. He was already an established builder in Delhi during the 1910s and 1920s, associated with constructing many buildings for British ruler in the pre-independent era.

Sir Sobha was married to Sardarni Vira Bai and the couple had four sons including Khushwant Singh, a journalist and author. Khushwant Singh has always shielded father in Bhagat Singh case, for which he faced criticism from media and public. A large part of his private estate was later given to a charitable trust, The Sobha Singh Trust, named after him. He passed away on 18 April 1978.

Published: March 23, 2019

Updated: March 23, 2019