Raja of Mahmoodabad's property belongs to State of UP: MTA

Lucknow, Feb 8 (UNI) The property of erstwhile Raja of Mahmoodabad worth billions of rupees belongs to the state of Uttar Pradesh, since he merely leased the land and was not the owner, Mehmoodabad Tenants Association (MTA) has alleged.

The Supreme Court has ordered the Custodian of Enemy Property in Mumbai to hand over these properties spread across the state to the late Raja of Mahmoodabad's son Raja Mohd Amir Mohd Khan. The tenants have been served eviction notices.

These properties were proclaimed as enemy property in 1965, when the erstwhile Raja migrated to Pakistan during the Indo-Pak war.

Addressing a news conference here last night, MTA president Sandeep Kohli said vast tracts of land were given to taluqdars, loyal to the crown after the 1857 revolt in the province of Oudh. The Raja was one of the beneficiaries.

These land were to be developed by them into civil settlements.

''These taluqdars were not given the land title and they merely acted as lessor and collected land levy and deposited the same in the British treasury,'' Mr Kohli claimed, produding several legal and administrative documents of that time.

In 1948, land was required for settlement of refugees and the Raja lost the cases regarding the title over his land in the state, including Lawrie Building, Mahmoodabad Mansion, Malka Jamania, Siddiqui Building, Halwasiya Building, Butler Palace (all in Lucknow), besides properties in Sitapur and Lakhimpur districts.

The Raja first filed a title suit in a Sitapur court, where he lost. Later, he moved to the Allahabad High Court, where he again lost the case. In 1962, he approahced the Supreme Court, which observed the case could only be decided by the High Court.

However, the Raja did not fight the case further. He died in 1973.

In 1997, his son Raja M A M Khan filed a case in the Bombay High Court claiming right over the property. The court directed the custodian of ememy property to hand him over the properties.

''In his affidavits before the court, the Raja misrepresented facts and deliberately avoided making his tenants as a party, which would have proved that the property actually belongs to the state of UP and he is not entitled to it,'' Mr Kohli reasoned.

Meanwhile, the apex court has appointed a retired High Court judge to decide on the properties, which the Raja is entitled to.

''We want the properties be taken over by the UP government, which can subsequently decide on our fate,'' he added.

However, he lamented that the state government has by far failed to take proper steps in this direction, which has resulted in several properties, including the Bulter Palace, being handed over to Raja M A M Khan.

UNI