Udaipur City Palace (Getty Image)
The dispute between members of the erstwhile royal family in Udaipur has become a topic of discussion across the country. Due to a property dispute, the atmosphere became so heated that the cousin was not allowed to enter the City Palace and the door was closed. In such a situation, when the followers became angry and tried to enter the City Palace, stones and bottles were thrown at them, resulting in people being injured.
Mewar whose praises the world still praises. The story of Maharana Pratap is still being repeated from this Mewar, but now the property dispute of the descendants of Maharana Pratap is also coming to the fore. Maharana Bhupal Singh was the next 19th Maharana after Maharana Pratap. When Maharana Bhupal Singh had no children, he adopted Bhagwat Singh, who was named Maharana. Bhagwat Singh had two sons, Mahendra Singh and Arvind Singh.
The matter related to property dispute between Bhagwat Singh’s two sons escalated and reached the court, where the court awarded a sentence of up to four years for some properties. Mahendra Singh Mewar’s son’s name is Vishvaraj Singh. Vishvaraj is also a BJP MLA from Nathdwara and his wife is an MP from Rajsamand. Arvind Singh’s son’s name is Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar.
He gave many properties for rent
Bhagwat Singh, the last Maharana of Udaipur, leased out many properties of the royal family from 1963 to 1983 and sold stakes in some properties. This included valuable properties like Lake Palace, Jag Niwas, Jag Mandir, Fateh Prakash, Shiv Niwas, Garden Hotel and City Palace Museum. The controversy started because Bhagwat Singh did this. Angered by his father’s decision, Mahendra Singh Mewar filed a case against Bhagwat Singh before the court in 1983.
Mahendra Singh said in the court that leaving aside the rule of primogeniture, ancestral properties should be distributed equally among all. Actually, the rule of primogeniture was implemented after independence. This meant that the eldest son of the family would become king. All state property will be with him. However, Bhagwat Singh became angry with this and replied in court on his son’s case that all these properties cannot be shared. This is importable heritage, that is, indivisible.
Excluded from property and trust
Bhagwat Singh appointed his youngest son, Arvind Singh Mewar, as executor of his estates in his will on 15 May 1984. Bhagwat Singh died on 3 November 1984. During this period, Maharana Bhagwat Singh had excluded Mahendra Singh Mewar from property and trust.
After the death of Maharana Bhagwat Singh, being the eldest son of Mahendra Singh Mewar, he was crowned as Maharana. Since then this controversy has increased even more. Property in name of younger brother and Maharana ritual The name of elder brother Mahendra Singh Mewar and now son of Mahendra Singh Mewar, Vishwaraj Singh, was crowned in a ritual in Chittorgarh. After that, when he came for darshan, the dispute escalated further. There was anger among the followers due to the closure of the gates of the City Palace and the gates remained closed amid heavy police force till 2:00 in the night and Vishvaraj Singh Mewar returned to his Samar Bagh residence.
