A view of Jayamahal Road that abuts the Bangalore Palace Grounds.
| Photo Credit: K. BHAGYA PRAKASH
The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Karnataka government to deposit with it transferable development rights (TDR) certificates of over ₹3,000 crore within 10 days for 15 acres and 39 guntas of Bangalore Palace Grounds acquired for road-widening projects.
The Palace Grounds were acquired for widening the Ballari and Jayamahal Roads.
Changing stand
A Special Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and Aravind Kumar passed the order on petitions filed by the family and heirs in the erstwhile royal family while taking a stern view about the State government’s changing stands on the issue in a hearing held post lunch.
The Bench was referring to the State’s move to promulgate the Bangalore Palace (Utilisation and Regulation of Land) Ordinance, 2025, giving itself the right to either acquire the property or not acquire it. The ordinance was a signal that the State was effectively dropping the road-widening plans rather than part with TDR worth ₹3,000 crore.
Ordinance promulgated
The State had promulgated the Ordinance in January 2025. Through the Ordinance, it had reserved to itself the right to not acquire the land situated in the heart of Bengaluru city after the apex court passed an order in December last year, directing it to issue the TDR.
Earlier, the State had contended that the issuance of the TDR certificates would result in an additional 13,91,742 sq.ft of built-up area constructable in the city. This would be approximately a notional value of ₹1,396 crores after deducting 60% of the guidance value.
The Karnataka government had also filed a separate application urging the Supreme Court to take up a 1997 civil appeal challenging constitutional validity of the Bangalore Palace (Acquisition and Transfer) Act, 1996.
Published – February 27, 2025 10:05 pm IST