Victoria Museum, Karachi
Building in Karachi, Sindh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Victoria Museum, now called Supreme Court Registry, Karachi, founded as Victoria and Albert Museum, is a building in Karachi, Sindh, which houses the Supreme Court of Pakistan Karachi registry branch.
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| Victoria Museum | |
|---|---|
Victoria Museum which is now the Supreme Court Registry in Karachi | |
 Interactive map of the Victoria Museum area | |
General information | |
| Location | Karachi, Sindh |
| Coordinates | 24°51′06″N 67°01′09″E |
| Year built | 1887 |
| Owner | Supreme Court of Pakistan |
History
The building was originally built during the British Raj. It was founded by the Duke of Connaught in 1887 during the reign of Queen Victoria as a museum then known as Victoria and Elbert [sic] Museum.[1]
On 21 May 1892, it was converted into a full museum and named Victoria Museum.[2] It had stuffed animals, artefacts from the Mohenjo-daro, statues of people of Hind and abroad, portraits, paintings, and pictures of noted people from around the world.[2]
In July 1948, Muhammad Ali Jinnah inaugurated it as the State Bank of Pakistan building and is noted for Jinnah's historic speech which articulates his vision for Pakistan.[1][3]
In October 1957, an apex court registry was established in Karachi in the building.[1]
In May 1995, the Government of Sindh transferred ownership of the building to the Supreme Court of Pakistan.[3] Following some renovations, the Supreme Court Registry was officially inaugurated on February 20, 1997.[3]
Architecture
The building was designed in Victorian architecture. It features three courtrooms, the Chief Justice's chambers, six judges' chambers, registrar's chambers, a conference room, a judges' lounge, an office block, and a mosque.[3] It also houses additional rooms for the Supreme Court Bar Association.[3]
