The Karnataka cabinet has issued an ordinance to go ahead with utilising the Bangalore Palace grounds for the proposed road widening of the Jayamahal and Bellary roads.
The decision, taken during a special cabinet meeting, is a move to escape issuing transferable development rights (TDR) certificates to the Mysore royal family for acquiring 15 acres and 39 guntas of land for the infrastructure project.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil, who briefed the media on Friday, stated that issuing TDR would be inimical to the state's interest as the Supreme Court had ordered the Karnataka government to issue TDR as per the prevailing guidance value, which amounted to Rs 3,011 crore for 15 acres and 39 guntas of Bangalore Palace grounds, which is to be acquired for the proposed road along a two-kilometre stretch of the road.
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The state government is taking refuge in the Bangalore Palace (Acquisition and Transfer) Act, 1996, which has fixed the market value of 472 acres and 16 guntas at Rs 11 crore. “The validity of the law was challenged in the High Court by the Mysore royal family, and the court had upheld the decision of the government. The royal family has appealed before the Supreme Court but has not stayed the HC order. So, we are passing an ordinance that allows partial or complete withdrawal of any infrastructure project,” said Patil, who did not clarify if the ordinance could supersede the Supreme Court order on TDR.
It may be recalled that the Supreme Court, on December 10, 2024, had castigated the state government and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike for not complying with its earlier order (based on appeals by the royal family). The apex court passed orders in November 2014 and May 2022, directing the state government to issue TDR at market value, in accordance with Section 45B of the Karnataka Stamp Act.
On December 10 last year, it granted a final six-week deadline for issuing the TDR certificates, noting that the market value of the said land should be Rs. 2.83 lakh to Rs. 2.04 lakh per square metre, which adds to a TDR value of Rs. 1,396 crore, and allows the royal family to construct up to 13.91 lakh sqft of commercial property.
