Mysuru City Corporation makes a volte-face in Supreme Court; final orders on Aug. 6

Mysuru: The Supreme Court has been informed that the Karnataka Government has decided to restore the century-old Devaraja Market and the Lansdowne Building in Mysuru.

The submission was made during the hearing of a Special Leave Petition (SLP) challenging the demolition of the two buildings before a Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K. Vinod Chandran that came up for hearing yesterday (July 30).  

Senior Advocate Dr. Aditya Sondhi, appearing for the petitioners, heritage advocate and author G. Sathyanarayana (popularly known as Gouri Satya), R. Raja Chandra, the son-in-law of the late Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wadiyar and others, told the Court that the State Government has invited Expressions of Interest (EoIs) from firms to undertake the repair and restoration of the structures.

Marking a significant shift from its earlier stand favouring their demolition, the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) counsel submitted that the Corporation had passed a resolution on July 13, 2026, approving the restoration of both buildings and had also issued a tender notification inviting EoI from firms with the requisite expertise.

Taking note of the submissions, the Bench directed the MCC to place the decision on record by filing an affidavit and posted the matter for final orders on Aug. 6, 2026.

The State’s latest stand is a departure from its earlier position before the Supreme Court. On Sept. 2, 2025, Senior Advocate Devadatt Kamat, appearing for the State, told the Supreme Court that the State has taken a conscious decision to demolish both the structures and rebuild them with the same facade.

He had argued that since the buildings were State-owned, the Government should have the discretion to take such a decision. The State even floated a Rs. 35.95 crore tender for reconstructing the two buildings.

Court seeks second opinion

Responding to this, the Court observed that the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) report suggested that the buildings can be preserved. But to get a second opinion, the Court requested IIT Roorkee to evaluate the two buildings and submit a report.

On May 4, 2026, taking note of IIT Roorkee and INTACH reports, the Court observed that Devaraja Market and the Lansdowne Building can be preserved. “Let the necessary exercise be undertaken at the earliest to ensure that no further damage is caused to the structures,” the Court said, posting the next hearing to July 30, 2026.

Expert opinion

In its report, based on a detailed structural analysis and audit conducted in October 2025, IIT Roorkee experts said both Devaraja Market and the Lansdowne Building can be restored and conserved, given their significant heritage value.

The petitioners Gouri Satya, R. Raja Chandra and others challenged the Karnataka High Court’s Aug. 8, 2023 judgment in Writ Petition No. 15215/2020 (PIL).

They opposed any move to demolish or reconstruct the structures, citing their classification under Section 2 (1ea) of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961 and their inclusion in the Mysuru-Nanjangud Master Plan-2031 (Revision-II). Following the SLP, the Supreme Court stayed all demolition and reconstruction work.