Mysore: Within hours of Maharani Pramoda Devi making an emotional appeal to the state government to resolve the long-pending dispute over the palace in Mysore, district in-charge minister V. Srinivas Prasad merely said he would give her a patient hearing on the issue.
Speaking to media persons after chairing a meeting on Dasara festivities here, Mr. Prasad first said the government would extend a customary invitation to her and seek her cooperation for the festivities. “Appointing a successor and legal battles are private matters of the royal family,” he said though the Mysore Palace Acquisition Act, 1998, was passed by the Legislative Assembly.
Subsequently, he corrected his statement, saying he would meet Maharai Pramoda Devi to invite her for Dasara, give her a patient hearing and take appropriate action. “So far, the royal family did not discuss the matter the state government. Legal matters never came before me. Let her express her opinion, and we will deliberate on what to do”.
The minister announced that “Gajapayana,” the customary march of elephants from forest camp to Mysore city, would commence on August 14. The elephants would be welcomed at the palace in Mysore on August 16.
- Jayachamaraja Wadiyar entered into an agreement with the Government of India (GoI) on January 23, 1950, surrendering his sovereign powers in exchange for its recognition of various movable and immovable properties, including palaces, as private properties of the Maharaja of Mysore.
- On January 8, 1951, V.P. Singh, the then secretary to the GoI, Ministry of States, in his letter referred to Article II of the agreement confirming full ownership, use and enjoyment of all the private properties (as distinct from state properties).
- The 26th amendment to the Constitution of Indian in 1971 abolished the privileges and privy purse of the rulers.
- The Union government on October 28, 1972 informed the chief secretaries of all state governments that the amendment to the Constitution did not affect the ownership rights of properties recognised as private.
- An Urban Land (ceiling and regulation) Act was introduced in 1976 covering all urban properties
- A portion of the Mysore palace was taken over in 1976 for maintenance and management by the Karnataka government. The excess of income from entry fee was meant to go to the royal family, but did not.
- Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar filed a writ petition in the high court in 1988 to get back the portion of the Mysore palace taken over by the government. On November 6, 1997, the high court directed the government to give back the management of Mysore palace to the royal family. But the government filed a special leave petition before the Supreme Court which dismissed it and directed it to hand over the possession of the palace to the royal family within a month.
- The government didn’t comply with the Supreme Court order and passed the Mysore Palace Acquisition Act, 1998 by which it proposed to acquire the entire palace and its grounds for a paltry compensation.
- Earlier the state government passed the Bangalore Palace Acquisition Act, 1996, depriving the royal family of ownership of the palace guaranteed by the government of India in concurrence with it in 1950.
