Raja Naba Krishna's petition was heard 22 years ago

Kolkata, Mar 31 (UNI) Telephones rang ceaselessly at Calcutta High Court after the media reported that a 173-year-old case seeking permission to sell off the ancestral properties to maintain upkeep of the family temples and worship of the deities would be reopened for settlement.

" We are tired of receiving the telephone calls. We don't know from where do the reporters get such baseless information," an official of record department, said.

Mr Shaymal Ganguly, counsel of Dev family, said, " The case is technically dead. It was heard and disposed of in 1984." Mr Ganguly declined to say anything more saying that the media reports on the case had already sparked confusion ." I have nothing to say." Receiver of the property , Gaur Roy Chowdhury, appointed by Calcutta High Court years ago, said the case was no longer valid from the legal angle.

" A sum of Rs 10,000 as security money was deposited before the court and a heap of dust has settled on the files , " he said.

Way back in early 1800's , a Raja Naba Krishna Dev , founder of Sovabazar Rajbari, had moved a case seeking permission to sell ancestral property for maintaining temples and worship of the deities of the family.

The case was heard by the Supreme Court as Calcutta High court did not exist at that time.

After his death , his eight sons fought the case which was transfered to Calcutta High Court when it was set up in 1862 .

The Dev family has now more than 200 members , most of whom do not remember the case.The case was filed by the founder of the family.

UNI XC KK DB1943