Rajasthan government claims it acquired the land of Raj Mahal Palace in 1993.
A royal row over the sealing of the Raj Mahal palace gates in Jaipur by the Jaipur Development Authority or JDA is threatening to spill onto the streets, with Rajput organisations deciding to launch an agitation on the issue.
The JDA has shut the gates of the Raj Mahal Palace, once a British residency and now a luxurious boutique hotel owned by the Jaipur royal family.
The Rajasthan government claims it acquired the land in 1993 and has started the acquisition process. "It is a regular acquisition proceeding, there is nothing unusual about it," said the state's Urban Development Minister Rajpal Shekhawat.
The family claims that the Raj Mahal palace is one of the properties given to them under the covenant signed during the merger of the states in 1949.
Bulldozers have been at work on parts of the Raj Mahal Palace.
On Thursday, the JDA arrived at the palace grounds at 7.30 am, accompanied by bulldozers and a large police force. They took possession of parts of the palace grounds and sealed the main gates of the palace.
Two hours later, the erstwhile royal Diya Kumari reached the palace and asked the government authorities to look at a decree passed by the district court in 2011, which clearly demarcates the land of Raj Mahal and passes an injunction that prevents the government from interfering with the status quo of the property.
But the government authorities refused to listen.
"You cannot stop even an ordinary person's right of way. But in this case, this has been upheld by the court and the government and JDA cannot seal our way," said Ramesh Sharma, lawyer for the erstwhile royal family.
With Rajput organisations now threatening an agitation, the row could escalate, especially since Diya Kumari is also a sitting BJP legislator from Sawai Madhopur.