Daijiworld Media Network - Mysuru (SP)
Mysuru, Apr 6: The legal battle in which the royal family here and income tax department were entangled in since the last 44 years has finally ended. The royal family has heaved a sigh of relief, having been cleared of the allegations of property tax and income tax rule violations.
The income tax department has finally settled all the disputes it had with the royal family in the light of a verdict delivered by Supreme Court in September 2015. The department has come to the conclusion that it had collected property and income tax in excess of the dues, and hence returned the excess money along with applicable interest through cheque to Pramoda Devi Wadiyar.
Mysuru Scion Yaduveer Wadiyar with Pramoda Devi - File photo
The income tax department had impounded certain properties belonging to the royal family towards income and property tax dues. It also had attached rental payment which used to be paid to the family for the palace. It had auctioned some properties belonging to Wadiyar family, and returned the balance money after appropriating property and income tax dues. Now it has set into motion the process of releasing the properties and income that it had seized in the past.
Giving this information at a press conference convened in the palace on Thursday April 5, Pramoda Devi said that this has come as a big relief for the family as all negative publicity has stopped. She said that as of now, the family does not have any dues to the income tax department as the department has refunded excess amount paid.
"I have not sold any property belonging to the Wadiyar lineage during the legal battle. I have retained all the property which was inherited," she said, with tears welling in her tears, as she momentarily became emotional.
She said that the income tax department, which had impounded royal properties like Garike Mala, Regency Theatre, Kurubarahalli etc, is now releasing them one by one. "But five of our properties which were auctioned by the department cannot be taken back. We have received the auction proceeds," she narrated.