Karan Singh stakes claim on Governor’s House, approaches court

The former Sadr-e-Riyasat and senior Congress leader, Karan Singh’s Hari-Tara Charitable Trust on Wednesday approached a local court here to stake claim on Raj Bhawan, the official residence of Governor.
The court has issued notices to the government in this regard.
Karan Singh, who is trustee of Hari-Tara Charitable Trust, filed the case before Principal Session Judge (Jammu) R S Jain and staked his claim on the Raj Bhavan.
The petitioner through his counsel Vikran Sharma submitted that Maharani of J&K, late Yasho Rajya Lakshmi wife of Dr Karan Singh owned various properties in J&K.
“Out of her properties, a premises comprising ‘Ranbir Mahal’ and ‘Karan Niwas’ with attached outhouses alongwith all the land measuring 126 kanals, including servant-quarters, lawns, orchards, trees, fences, ditches, easements, etc was taken on a month to month lease by Governor of the State vide duly executed lease-deed dated May 1, 1967,” he said.
The lease contained a clause to commence with effect from May 1, 1967 by mutual consent on a monthly rent of Rs 4000.
The petitioner said driven by their devotion to charitable causes, late Maharani Yasho Rajya Lakshmi and Karan Singh created a public-charitable Trust under the name ‘Hari-Tara Charitable Trust’ on May 15, 1970. “They dedicated their properties comprising ‘Ranbir Mahal’ and ‘Karan Niwas’ and another property comprising houses numbers 3AB, 4AB and 5AB with land underneath and appurtenant thereto, at Jammu”.
In the petition, it was submitted that retention of the suit premises belonging to the Trust by the defendants and its usage as a residence-cum-office of the Governor is by any comparison, not of greater necessity than Trust’s requirement of putting the suit-premises and income there from for usage towards various charitable causes.
“It is respectfully submitted that the defendants, being a mighty and resourceful State, do have various options available at their end, for shifting the usage, as the suit-premises is being put to, to any other place, even though Trust’s statutory right to seek possession of suit premises, after terminating the lease, remains unaffected by the availability or otherwise of such option with the defendants,” it said.
The petition sought direction for evicting the defendants from the property — ‘Ranbir Mahal’ and ‘Karan Niwas’ alongwith land measuring 126 kanals situated at Jammu and directing the defendants to hand-over the possession of the property to the plaintiff.
The petitioner has also sought recovery of Rs 16, 368,000 as compensation for “unauthorized” use and occupation of the property from the respondents with effect from the date of termination of the tenancy.
He has also sought compensation of Rs 50,000 per day for unauthorised use and “occupation” of the property by the defendants. “Besides an interest at 24 % p.a thereon be paid till its possession is handed over to the petitioner”.
After hearing the counsel of petitioner, the court issued notice to Chief Secretary Iqbal Khandey and PWD Secretary Returnable and asked them to file objections before May 12.