The more-than-a-decade-old road widening issue on Ballari Road involving the acquisition of Bangalore Palace land has now led to the Supreme Court asking personal presence of three top bureaucrats, including the Chief Secretary, in a contempt petition case.
While the contempt petition is coming up for hearing on March 19, the State government, in a related development, on Thursday decided to provide Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) for 15.5 acres of the 466 acre-Bangalore Palace grounds to be acquired for widening both Ballari Road and Jayamahal Road.
Three contempt petitions
According to Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, the Chief Secretary, the Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Development Department, and the BBMP Commissioner have been asked to be personally present in the court. It is learnt that three contempt petitions have been filed by members of the erstwhile royal family of Mysuru, all of which have been clubbed together.
“The court had earlier directed the government to provide TDR for road widening but the previous government had not favoured the road widening. However, a compound has been built already. The petitioners have argued that they lost the usage of the acquired land but have not got the TDR,” he said.
After the petitioners approached the Supreme Court, it directed the government to either pay compensation or drop the road widening plan. “However, the Cabinet believes that there is a need for road widening in future. We have decided to give the TDR. We leave it to the court as to whom the TDR has to be paid. The khata is not in private names,” Mr. Gowda said and expected that there could be legal complications as title is not clear.
Meanwhile, a member of the royal family told The Hindu, “While the government did not want to give the TDR, it offered a pittance of ₹11 crore despite the Supreme Court ordering issue of the TDR in 2014. We are confident of getting justice in the top-most court in all matters pending before it.”
CM’s direction to officials
The Supreme Court has been hearing the matter since the erstwhile royal family questioned the validity of the Bangalore Palace (Acquisition and Transfer) Act, 1996, after the Karnataka High Court upheld the law.
The Revenue Minister said, “Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has directed the officials to hasten the process in the original suit. He felt that the State had not argued well in the Supreme Court and sought to know the reasons for the delay. He has instructed the officials to appoint good lawyers in the case.”
It was during the erstwhile Janata Dal government in which the Mr. Siddaramaiah served as the Deputy Chief Minister that the law was passed.
While the Bangalore Palace Acquisition Act has been questioned in the Supreme Court, it has not yet been heard. The constitution of the nine-judge Bench has rekindled hope of an early settlement to the long-drawn court battle as the case of Property Owners Association vs. State of Maharashtra over land acquisition issues is expected to be heard soon though the matter is yet to be listed. “Once the Maharashtra case is disposed of, the palace matter is likely to be taken up,” sources aware of the legal matters said.
