Issue pertains to 100-acre 32-gunta land at Kurubarahalli village

Mysore/Mysuru: In a major relief to Indrakshi Devi, one of the sisters of late Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar and a member of Mysore royal family, the Karnataka High Court has directed Mysuru’s Revenue and Municipal authorities to make appropriate entries in her name regarding 100-acre 32-gunta land at Kurubarahalli village, Kasaba Hobli.

Justice R. Devdas yesterday allowed the petition and directed the authorities to make appropriate changes in the entries.

The sprawling land is called ‘Lucerne Garden’ and was a part of a huge chunk of lands that were classified by the Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru as ‘B-Kharab’ (Government land) reserved for public purpose by an order dated May 26, 2015.

Following the ‘B-Kharab’ classification, directions were issued to the Tahsildar to cancel the Khathas standing in the name of the petitioner, Indrakshi Devi. On her part, Indrakshi Devi, through her two power of attorney holders, claimed in the High Court that the said land was part of 1,563 acres acquired by the then Maharaja of Mysuru and retained along with other properties.

She contended that the acquisition could be seen on the list of properties filed by the then Maharaja and the Union Government and the Government of Mysore in connection with the Accession Treaty of 1950.

In a related development, a Coordination Bench of the High Court — on June 19, 2020 — held that 2,000 acres of land in Kurubarahalli, Alanahalli and Chowdahalli in Mysuru are private properties and had set aside the DC’s order classifying the land as B-Kharab.

This point was brought to the notice of the High Court and Indrakshi Devi’s counsel contended that the 100 acres 32 guntas is part of the land in Kurubarahalli. The Court was told that the State Government had contested the case even in the Supreme Court but was unsuccessful.

The petitioners also contended that they were neither heard nor given an opportunity to present their case in gross violation of the principles of natural justice.

Appearing on behalf of the petitioners, senior advocate G.S. Kannur argued that as the Coordination Bench had already quashed the Mysuru DC’s order in respect to other properties, appropriate directions must be issued to the Revenue and Municipal authorities to make changes in the land entries.

From 2011 to 2015, successive Deputy Commissioners had passed separate orders regarding the 1,563-acre land and the owners of the land including Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, wife of late Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar had challenged the DC’s order in the High Court. The petitioners contended that the lands that were classified as ‘B-Kharab’ were the same lands that were held by the Maharaja of Mysore.