Karnataka Guv gives assent to Palace Act, govt can use land for infra projects

Bengaluru: Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Wednesday gave his assent to the Bangalore Palace (Utilisation and Regulation of Land) Act, 2025, a law that asserts government control over the 472 acres and 16 guntas of land at the Palace Grounds. 

The assent will also bring relief to government officials who faced contempt charges for not complying with the Supreme Court’s December 10, 2024, ruling. 

The Act, with a total of eight sections, empowers the government to utilise any portion of the palace land for infrastructure projects. 

Section 4, which deals with compensation, stipulates that the Bangalore Palace (Acquisition and Utilisation) Act, 1996, shall be deemed to be the basis for guidance value under Section 45B of the Karnataka Stamp Act, 1957. It means the compensation for the land will not be on a par with the prevailing market rate. 

The Act also makes it clear that compensation should not be paid unless the dispute between claimants is settled. 

"No claimant shall be entitled to withdraw any compensation from the commissioner under Section 13 of the Bangalore Palace (Acquisition and Transfer) Act, 1996, in the event of existence of inter se disputes between the claimants, without furnishing a certified copy of the final decree of a competent civil court to the commissioner," it notes. 

This section appears to have been inserted after some of the legal heirs of Mysuru's erstwhile royal family wrote to the government, requesting that status quo be maintained regarding the issuance of Transferable Development Rights (TDR) certificates or associated transactions until the review petition is adjudicated. The letter also highlighted the unresolved ownership disputes among the claimants. 

In the meanwhile, as directed by the Supreme Court, senior government officials from Karnataka visited New Delhi on Wednesday to deposit the TDR certificates in the apex court. The certificates carried a note stating that they cannot be redeemed until the original petition — concerning the validity of the Bangalore Palace Act 1996 — is adjudicated.