Almost a century ago, a young Sikh contractor quietly moved the foundation stones of New Delhi from Kingsway to Raisina Hill in the middle of the night. He was paid just Rs 16 for the job. That young man was Sir Sobha Singh — the contractor who would go on to play a major role in the construction of New Delhi, including major projects such as South Block and the War Memorial Arch, now India Gate. He also acquired large tracts of Delhi land at prices as low as Rs 2 per square yard.

But Sobha Singh’s legacy has another, far more controversial chapter. On April 8, 1929, Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw bombs inside the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi. Sobha Singh was present in the visitors’ gallery and later gave evidence in the Assembly Bomb Case. His testimony became part of the long-running controversy surrounding his reputation, with some accounts portraying him as a key witness against Bhagat Singh.

But there is an important historical distinction: Bhagat Singh was not sentenced to death for the Assembly bombing. He and B.K. Dutt were sentenced in the Assembly Bomb Case, but the death sentence came later in the Lahore Conspiracy Case arising from the killing of British police officer J.P. Saunders. Sobha Singh’s testimony in the Assembly case therefore did not itself send Bhagat Singh to the gallows.

This Khabargaon Kissa explores the extraordinary life of Sir Sobha Singh — from a young man paid Rs 16 to move foundation stones at night to one of the most influential builders of colonial Delhi. We look at how New Delhi was built, how Sobha Singh accumulated land and wealth, what exactly his testimony in the Bhagat Singh case said, and why his son, the celebrated writer Khushwant Singh, spent much of his life defending his father’s reputation.

The story also reaches into the present. One of the major properties associated with the Sobha Singh legacy, Sujan Singh Park North, became the subject of an eviction dispute with the Centre in 2026. The government’s Land and Development Office issued an eviction notice, while Sir Sobha Singh & Sons challenged the proceedings in court.

Watch the complete Khabargaon Kissa to understand the man behind some of Delhi’s most iconic buildings — and the controversial Bhagat Singh connection that continues to shape how history remembers him.

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