Jaipur high court seeks lower court's records in royal family property case

The Rajasthan high court has asked for the lower court records in a dispute over property of Gayatri Devi of the Jaipur royal family to ascertain if the succession certificate was issued ignoring its order.

Justice Mahesh Bhagwati yesterday called for the records based on late Gayatri Devi's grandson Prithviraj's contentions that the issuance of the succession certificate in favour of her grandchildren - Devraj and Lalitya- in February 2009 was wrong as it was granted while ignoring a stay order of the high court.

The certificate issued by the lower court is a key document for which the grandchildren of Gayatri Devi have been fighting in support of their claims to be the legal heirs to the properties of their father late Jagat Singh as well as Gayatri Devi.

The Jaipur district and sessions court had issued a succession certificate in favour of Lalitya and Devraj on February 19, 2009. The certificate relates to properties of late Jagat Singh and equally divides his assets between Gayatri Devi sand her grandchildren.

After the death of Gayatri Devi in July 2009, Lalitya and Devraj have been claiming that their grandmother had willed her properties too in their favour.

Their step-uncles Prithviraj and Jai Singh and cousin Urveshi Devi have, however, disputed Lalitya and Devraj's claims and have staked contentions on the royal family's properties by filing litigations before different courts in Jaipur and Delhi.

The case has been posted for further hearing on November 29.