The district administration in Udaipur on Tuesday (November 26, 2024) appointed a receiver for a portion of the City Palace after a property dispute among the descendants of the 16th century Rajput king Maharana Pratap led to a clash between the supporters of two factions. One of the groups was led by the new titular head of the erstwhile royal family of the Mewar princely state.
Vishvaraj Singh, anointed the family’s head at a ceremony in Chittorgarh Fort after the death of his father Mahendra Singh Mewar, was denied entry into the palace and its temple on Monday. The palace is controlled by Mr. Vishvaraj’s paternal uncle Arvind Singh Mewar.
Mr. Vishvaraj, the Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Nathdwara, wanted to have a darshan of ‘dhuni’ (a religious place) and visit the temple of family deity Eklingnath following his anointment. Mr. Arvind and his supporters prevented Mr. Vishvaraj from entering, after which stones were thrown at the palace’s main gate by both the sides.
Mr. Arvind, who heads the Shri Eklingji Trust in Udaipur, had also published two public notices through his lawyer in local newspapers warning of legal action against trespassing. Mr.Vishvaraj’s supporters tried to cross the police barricades and later staged a protest at Jagdish Chowk in front of the palace till late on Monday night.
Additional District Magistrate Vaar Singh appointed the station house officer of Ghanta Ghar police station, Yogendra Kumar Vyas, as the receiver for the palace’s disputed portion between Badi Pol and the ‘dhuni’. The notice of the appointment was pasted on the palace’s main gate.
While the receiver took possession of the disputed area and was in the process of making guidelines for entry from different gates, Mr. Vishvaraj told journalists that it was illegal to prevent him from entering the family deity’s temple. “I was stopped on the pretext of the property dispute… It is wrong from both the traditional and legal aspects,” he said.
Udaipur Collector Arvind Poswal, who held talks with both the sides to evolve a consensus, said he would try to ensure Mr. Vishvaraj’s entry from his residence in Samor Bagh into the temple complex on Wednesday. Strict security arrangements have been made around the palace and in front of all entry gates.
The anointment ceremony declaring Mr. Vishvaraj as the successor and titular head of the erstwhile royal family was held at Fateh Prakash Mahal in Chittorgarh Fort on Monday. The representatives of various former royal Rajput families attended the ceremony, which was intended to conclude with the prayers at the Eklingnath temple inside the palace.
The family of Mahendra Singh, a former MP from Chittorgarh who died on November 10, has had a long-running property dispute with his younger brother Mr. Arvind. The case is being heard at the Rajasthan High Court.
The property dispute within the family began in 1983 following the actions of Mr. Vishvaraj’s grandfather Bhagwat Singh, who leased and sold several key assets, such as the Lake Palace, Jag Niwas and City Palace Museum. When Mahendra opposed the decision and filed a civil suit, Bhagwat severed ties with his elder son and gave the responsibility to look after the family’s properties to his younger son Mr. Arvind.
Published - November 26, 2024 11:27 pm IST
