Mysuru: “The Karnataka Cabinet has decided to take over the entire Bangalore Palace land through an Ordinance. Even this has to have the Governor’s signature. This decision comes amidst threat of contempt of Court. Let us see what the Supreme Court says on Feb. 4,” said R. Raja Chandra, a member of erstwhile Mysore royal family on the Ordinance route adopted by the State Government.

“CM Siddaramaiah has always had a grudge against the royal family. He has never liked the Mysore Palace and has been targeting us continuously. This attitude is not good in a democracy,” he remarked.

Raja Chandra emphasised that offering TDR for 15 acres and 36 guntas of Bangalore Palace land used for expansion of Ballari and Jayamahal Roads would have caused no loss to Government while benefiting the public. The Ordinance route to avoid giving TDR and take over Palace Grounds is unjust,” he said.

All eyes are now on the Supreme Court’s Feb. 4 hearing to determine the fate of the contentious Ordinance and the future of Palace Grounds.

The Supreme Court had initially set a Jan. 22 deadline for the Government to either issue TDR to the royal family or appear in Court. However, the hearing was postponed to Feb. 4 due to the absence of presiding judges. In the meantime, the Government held an emergency Cabinet meeting and decided to issue the Ordinance. We will inform the same to Supreme Court during the next hearing, he revealed.

Raja Chandra further pointed out the inconsistency of the Government’s stance, stating, “The Supreme Court ruled on this issue ten years ago. TDR is a widely accepted system in many countries, including India. It is unclear why the Karnataka Government is reluctant to provide TDR and proceed with the road expansion project.”