Dec 21, 1998
|
|
|
|
RAJASTHAN Palace Intrigue A maharaja is accused of forcibly taking possession of a property he had leased out for a hotel project. By Rohit Parihar
The dispute has its roots in a 1995 deal between Narendra Singh and Govind Johari. In June that year, Narendra Singh had leased out the palace to Johari who wanted to turn it into a hotel. Narendra Singh was to be paid an annual rent of Rs 12,000 and a security deposit of Rs 2.5 crore that was refundable after the 69-year lease with 18 per cent interest per annum. The deal appeared to favour Johari. For one, the monthly rent of Rs 1,000 for a sprawling palace was ridiculously low. Also, it didn't specify when the entire Rs 2.5 crore was to be given. But few came to know of the deal because the lease deed was never registered in a bid to save tax. And it would have remained so if Narendra Singh hadn't had a change of heart. On October 10, he marched into the palace with his men, declared the deal void, charged Johari with stealing antiques from the premises and forcibly took possession. Stunned, Johari charged Narendra Singh with forcible entry and moved the Jodhpur High Court for regaining possession of the palace. The case will come up for hearing on January 5. On his part, Narendra Singh says that he was tricked into accepting the terms of an agreement that was loaded against him. But Johari denies that the deal favoured him. "At the end of the lease, the hotel probably would be valued in hundreds of crores rupees," he says. Interestingly, the agreement -- which is on plain paper -- does not say to which member of the royal family the palace is to be handed over after the lease. "I have no male heir and Johari could easily end up owning the palace," says Narendra Singh. Also, he says, Johari still has to pay Rs 1.7 crore of the security deposit, but Johari insists that he has already paid Rs 1.55 crore and the remaining would have been paid when the hotel started operations. The whole issue is further complicated by the fact that Narendra Singh has reportedly adopted the grandson of former chief minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. Johari believes that Shekhawat therefore has a vested interest in siding with Narendra Singh. However, Shekhawat's son-in-law Narpat Singh Razvi denies that his son has been adopted by the maharaja. This is not the first dispute over the Laxmi Vilas palace. In 1993, Narendra Singh had rented it out to a hotelier, M.P. Jain, for Rs 75,000 a month with a Rs 50 lakh security deposit. But two years later, he accused Jain of reneging on the deal and claimed that some antiques were missing from the palace. Johari, who pitched in to settle the dispute, offered to take the palace on a 69-year lease. Since Narendra Singh was finding it difficult to evict Jain, he seems to have agreed to Johari's conditions in the hope of regaining the palace later. Opportunity came in October when Johari went into hiding after he was accused of kidnapping the daughter of a relative. While Johari was busy trying to obtain anticipatory bail, Narendra Singh forcibly occupied the palace. Narendra Singh's ancestors had fiercely defended their kingdom from their enemies. However, he may not be able to demonstrate the same valour when the case comes up for hearing. |
|
Issue Contents | Write to us | Subscriptions | Syndication BUSINESS TODAY | INDIA TODAY PLUS | COMPUTERS TODAY © Living Media India Ltd |
 |
 |
The beautiful palaces of Rajasthan have
been silent witnesses to many an intrigue in the past. Laxmi Vilas -- one of the four
palaces built by Maharaja Ganga Singh in Bikaner in the early 20th century -- is at the
centre of one right now. Maharaja Narendra Singh of Bikaner is locked in a legal battle
with a rich jeweller from Jaipur over the possession of the palace. 
