Karnataka Govt To Appeal To SC For Speedy Disposal Of Ownership Dispute Of Bengaluru Palace Grounds

The Karnataka government will appeal to the Supreme Court to resolve its petition on the Bengaluru Palace Acquisition Act's validity and Palace Grounds ownership dispute.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Government on Thursday decided to make an appeal before the Supreme Court to urgently dispose of its interim petition seeking to uphold the validity of the Bengaluru Palace (Acquisition and Transfer) Act 1996 to decide the ownership of the Palace Grounds in Bengaluru. The decision was taken at the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah here on Thursday.

The decision is prompted by the Supreme Court's December 21, 2024 order directing the state government to pay a whopping Rs 3,011 crore to the legal heirs of the Mysuru Royal family in the form of Transferable Development Rights (TDR) certificates towards 15 acres and 17 guntas of the land of the Palace Grounds acquired by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for widening of roads.

Explaining the cabinet decision, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil said unless the validity of the Bengaluru Palace (Acquisition and Transfer) Act 1996 is decided, the question of paying the TDR doesn't arise. "So the Cabinet decided to seek speedy disposal of the state government's petition to uphold the validity of the Act. As far as paying TDR is concerned, the Cabinet instructed departments concerned to legally manage the case until the Supreme Court gives its verdict on the validity of the Act," he added.

Through the Act, the Karnataka government in 1996 took over the ownership of the Palace Grounds to preserve it for public use. The Royal family members questioned it in the High Court, which in turn upheld the Act prompting the former to knock on the doors of the Supreme Court. The matter has been pending for disposal since then.

In the meantime, the BBMP in 2006 decided to acquire 15 acres and 17 guntas of land of the Palace Grounds adjoining Ballari Road and Jayamahal Road by providing TDR to the owners for a road widening project. It also built a new compound wall beyond the stretch of land identified for acquisition. But in 2016 the project was dropped.

Questioning the state government’s decision, the royal family members went to the Supreme Court which in turn asked the state government to clarify its stand on whether it wanted to acquire the land or not. When the state government failed to clarify its stand, the apex court initiated contempt proceedings forcing the government to submit before the Supreme Court that it would continue with the road widening project.

Following this, the Supreme Court ordered the state government to pay the compensation to the Royal family members in the form of TDR taking into account prevailing guidance value in the adjoining localities. Accordingly, the BBMP was required to fix Rs 2,83,500 per square metre for the land adjoining Ballari Road and Rs 2,04,000 for Jayamahal Road which works out to Rs 3,011 crore while dismissing the Rs 120 crore value fixed by the state government as per the 1996 Act.

Contempt petition against Royal family members

The Cabinet also decided to file a contempt petition against a member of the Royal family for constructing permanent structures inside the Palace Grounds measuring two lakh square metres violating the Supreme Court's direction for maintaining status-quo.

"The Supreme Court in its 2001 order had directed that no structures should be built on the premises of the Palace Grounds until the ownership case is settled. But, several permanent structures have come up on the land measuring over two lakh square metres. So, the Cabinet decided to file a contempt petition before the Supreme Court against the members of the Royal family," Patil said.

Meanwhile, the state government on January 9 served notices on heirs of the Royal family to clear all illegal structures within 15 days besides putting a ban on organising any functions in the Palace Grounds premises in future.