BENGALURU: The Supreme Court has instructed the Karnataka government to deposit transferable development rights (TDR) certificates worth Rs 3,400 crore within a week for the acquisition of over 15 acres of land at the Bangalore Palace Grounds to widen Bellary and Jayamahal roads in Bengaluru.
During the hearing, Justices M.M. Sundaresh and Arvind Kumar expressed disappointment in the Karnataka government’s inconsistent stance on the issue. The court was addressing contempt petitions filed by the legal heir of Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar and others.
Senior lawyers representing the state government, such as Kapil Sibal, Rajeev Dhawan, and Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty, argued that since the state government had already won in the High Court, the court should focus on the main issue of the case.
Sibal emphasized that granting current title deeds to the TDR would significantly increase the valuation of the complete ownership of 462 acres, benefiting the state’s finances. He pointed out that despite the ownership being transferred in 1994, the valuation was being done in 2024.
The court considered the arguments presented by senior lawyers for the Mysore royal family, including A.K. Ganguly, Rakesh Dwivedi, Madhavi Diwan, and Gopal Shankaranarayanan. They argued that the state officials were wrongly accused of contempt of court by the High Court on October 10, 2024.
Shankaranarayana highlighted the state’s contradictory stance on the matter, while Diwan criticized the state for attempting to circumvent the court’s order.
In response, the Supreme Court directed the Karnataka government to deposit the TDR certificates within a week for further examination and proceedings. The next hearing is on March 20.
On Thursday, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department Umashankar SR, Chief Commissioner of BBMP Tushar Giri Nath, BDA Commissioner, and several other officers appeared personally before the Supreme Court for the hearing.
