E-Paper
Allies Jaipur ex-royals, Raje pitted against each other in Rajmahal row
The court’s ruling in favour of the former Jaipur royal family on the Rajmahal Palace hotel case is as much a setback for the state government as was the political
The court’s ruling in favour of the former Jaipur royal family on the Rajmahal Palace hotel case is as much a setback for the state government as was the political standoff.
On Tuesday, Jaipur’s additional district and sessions judge Kailash Mishra called the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) action on the Rajmahal Palace land illegal and unconstitutional. He ordered the JDA to restore the structures it had razed.
A political standoff between the Jaipur Development Authority and the former royals of Jaipur had took off after the authority took possession over a 12 bigha land and sealed three gates of the Rajmahal Palace Hotel on August 24.
During the next 12 days, the former royals were pitted against chief minister Vasundhara Raje and the BJP government in the state, who are otherwise considered to be close.
The ex-royal family took the JDA action as a personal affront and sought the scalp of JDA commissioner Shikhar Agarwal. Even after the main gate of the hotel was unsealed on September 4, the Rajput community threatened another agitation if Agarwal was not removed.
Agarwal is a close confidant of Raje and another political standoff would create a fresh dilemma for the chief minister who already had to backtrack.
Interestingly, while proclaiming their faith in the state government, the former royal family did not leave any platform to highlight the insult meted to them by the JDA. The ex-royals not only took their fight to the court, but BJP MLA Diya Kumari also reached the central leadership and met Union home minister Rajnath Singh and national BJP president Amit Shah.
In her meeting with leaders in Delhi, Diya indicated that BJP would stand to lose Rajput votes if the government did not resolve this issue. The central leaders were apprehensive that the dispute could alienate the Rajput vote in the forthcoming Uttar Pradesh elections.
The central leadership stepped in and sent senior leader Saudan Singh to resolve the issue. On September 2, he held separate meetings with Diya Kumari and Raje. Eventually, Padmini Devi held a meeting with Raje and the dispute was put to an end on September 4 when the JDA opened the seal in the main gate of the hotel.
Genesis of the dispute
Built 300 years ago, over a sprawling 120 bigha of land, the Rajmahal Palace was the abode of the erstwhile Jaipur ruler Man Singh between 1952 and 1958. It was inherited by his son late (Brig) Bhawani Singh.
In 1972, a notification was issued by the government stating its intent to acquire 65 bighas 16 biswa of land which had been given to the government. The rest 54 bighas 7 biswas remained with the royal family.
In 1993, the land acquisition was awarded in favour of the JDA. However, the royal family contends that JDA never took physical possession of the land.
On August 24, JDA officials took over 12 bigha land on the hotel premises and sealed three gates of the hotel.
The ex-royal family contended that the main gate of the hotel was built on their land and JDA had sealed it unlawfully, while JDA said otherwise.
