Jaipur Walled City Faces UNESCO Status Loss? Rajasthan HC Sets December 2026 Deadline

The Rajasthan High Court has said Jaipur’s Walled City could forfeit its UNESCO World Heritage Site status if effective remedial action is not taken before December 2026. After reading a newspaper report on threats to the Pink City’s heritage, Justice Pramil Kumar Mathur started suo motu proceedings and sent notices to 10 state and local authorities.

The court also told the Jaipur Development Authority and the city’s municipal corporations to inspect illegal and unchecked buildings damaging the Walled City and file a report within two weeks. The warning brings judicial scrutiny to the condition of Jaipur’s historic core and to the state’s enforcement record.

“If adequate and effective remedial measures are not undertaken before December, 2026, the Walled City of Jaipur runs the serious risk of forfeiting its recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The consequences of such a loss would be far-reaching…Its withdrawal would adversely impact the local economy, diminish Jaipur’s global stature, and represent a failure to safeguard a legacy entrusted to the present generation,” the court noted.

Heritage Under Threat

The court said that it was deeply concerned about the alarming degradation of Jaipur’s historic Walled City, which was bestowed with UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2019. It flagged reports of illegal constructions, unauthorised alterations and encroachments in the area’s core and buffer zones.

Traditional palaces are steadily disappearing, with incongruous modern constructions taking their place and disrupting the city’s visual and cultural coherence.

“Developmental activities are reportedly being undertaken without proper heritage impact assessments, while the enforcement mechanisms appear either weak or virtually non-existent,” the court said. It added that existing administrative measures have so far proved inadequate to deal with the scale and seriousness of the problem. “Unless stringent, time-bound, and enforceable directions are issued and effectively implemented, the damage being caused may soon become irreversible,” the court said.

UNESCO Warnings Repeated

The court linked its concern to earlier warnings from UNESCO. It noted that UNESCO first raised these concerns in 2023 and reiterated them in 2025.

That history matters now. The observation strengthens the court’s case for urgent intervention before the December 2026 deadline it has flagged.

The court said the situation appeared to have remained substantially unaddressed despite those repeated warnings.

Orders To Authorities

The court has asked the authorities for a full account of planning, enforcement and responsibility. It also wants them to say whether heritage impact assessments or expert reviews were done before approvals were issued for construction near heritage precincts.

It also sought details on the extent of unauthorised construction over the past five years. The court asked what action had been taken against violators, including demolition, sealing, prosecution and penalties.

The court also asked whether buffer zones, height caps and architectural controls exist around heritage sites and how strictly officials enforce them.

The court further sought reasons for the apparent failure, if any, in enforcing existing planning and conservation regulations, resulting in deterioration, alteration, or depletion of heritage character.

The court also ordered a phased action plan. It wants immediate and long-term steps to stop further damage to heritage structures and to restore and protect the area’s historical and cultural character.