Plea seeking rent for Bikaner House junked

The Delhi high court has rejected a petition filed by the daughter of Bikaner's last Maharaja, Dr Karni Singh, claiming outstanding rent for over 23 years from the Centre for occupying the iconic Bikaner House in Lutyens' Delhi.

- Shruti Kakkar

NEW DELHI:

The heir, Rajyashree Kumari Bikaner, sought rent arrears from October 1991 to December 2014.

Taking note of a communication issued by the Centre to the Maharaja in October 1951, in which the former, while acknowledging the fact that Bikaner House belonged to the Rajasthan government, had agreed to pay one-third rent to the late Maharaja on an ex-gratia basis. However, considering the voluntary nature of such payments, Justice Sachin Datta held that the Maharaja's heirs failed to demonstrate legal rights over the alleged dues and could not claim them as a matter of right.