NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday suspended the previous orders for handing over of transferable development rights certificates of over Rs 3,400 Cr in favour of legal heir of Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar and others for over 15 acres of land of Bangalore Palace ground acquired for widening of Bellary and Jayamahal Roads.
This comes as a major relief to the Karnataka government, which suffered an adverse order on May 22 by a bench of Justices M M Sundresh and Aravind Kumar in contempt proceedings.
Taking up the Karnataka government's modification application, a bench of Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta and N Kotiswar Singh ordered that all the TDR certificates would remain deposited with the Registry and if released, then those would not be utilised or any third party right would be created.
The court ordered the review petition filed by the state government against the May 22 order for release of TDR certificates, would be posted for hearing in the week commencing July 21, 2025.
"If the review petition is declined, the interim directions shall continue in force for four weeks from the date of passing such order or till it is heard by the three judge bench, whichever is later," the bench said.
The bench also ordered for hearing on main civil appeal on August 18, 2025.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal argued the matter for the Karnataka government on its application for modification of May 22 direction issued in contempt proceedings. Advocate General K Shashi Kiran Shetty and Additional Advocate General Nishanth Patil also represented the Karnataka government.
The opposite side led by senior advocates A K Ganguli and Gopal Sankaranarayanan and others contended the arguments raised by the state government have been considered a number of times and rejected. Sibal, however, contested the submission.
"What is this going, they sought modification of 2014 order and three different benches have dismissed it. There has to be some law" Ganguli asked.
Sankaranarayanan said there can't be intra court appeal.
After having heard the counsel, the bench directed for listing the main civil appeals before a three judge bench in the week commencing August 18, 2025.
"As an interim measure, all the TDRs issued pursuant to the order passed in contempt proceedings shall remained deposited with the registry till further orders," the bench said.
In order to avoid further complications, the court stayed the previous orders, including of May 22, 2025.
"The consequential effect of order of December 10, 2024, May 17, 2022, and March 19, 2024 shall be kept in abeyance," the bench said.
This interim arrangement is without prejudice to the rights of the parties, the court added.
On January 29, 2025, the Karnataka government notified the Bangalore Palace (Utilization and Regulation of Land) Ordinance 2025, reserving the right to not acquire portions of the disputed Palace land located in the heart of the Bengaluru city, after the apex court's order of December 10, 2024 on issuance of TDR.
The Karnataka government also filed a separate application urging the Supreme Court to take up 1997 civil appeal challenging constitutional validity of the Bangalore Palace (Acquisition and Transfer) Act, 1996.
