In a strategic move to avoid issuing Transferable Development Rights (TDR) certificates worth ₹3,014 crore to the erstwhile Mysuru royal family, the Karnataka government has introduced the Bangalore Palace (Acquisition and Transfer) Bill 2025 in the Assembly.

This legislation, replacing an ordinance from January 2024, comes in response to a Supreme Court directive instructing the state to grant TDR certificates for 15 acres and 17 guntas of land required for widening Ballari and Jayamahal Roads—land yet to be acquired. The government had opposed this order and, after multiple cabinet discussions, issued an ordinance in January. It now seeks to legally acquire the land, arguing that the Bangalore Palace Act 1996 already allows for state acquisition of the palace.

Apart from this Bill, four others were introduced in the Assembly on Tuesday:

  • APMC (Amendment) Bill – Enables retail and online trade in Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) yards.
  • Pawnbrokers (Amendment) Bill, Karnataka Money Lenders (Amendment) Bill, and Karnataka Prohibition of Charging Exorbitant Interest (Amendment) Bill – Aim to curb predatory lending practices by microfinance firms.

With the ownership of Bangalore Palace land still under Supreme Court scrutiny, the battle between the state and the Wadiyars continues.