# Royalty for Ambari justified by commercial use: Pramoda Devi 2026-11-04T13:28:35+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 3 independent outlets Pramoda Devi Wadiyar of the Mysuru royal family justified the collection of royalty from the Karnataka government for the use of the Ambari during Jamboo Savari, citing its commercial exploitation through ticket sales and use in Dasara publicity. She was responding to Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah’s statement that the government paid Rs 80 lakh for the Ambari’s use on 21 October 2026. The payment has been a long-standing practice, she said. At a press conference on 2 November in Mysuru, she alleged the government has not complied with a 1997 Karnataka High Court order to return portions of Mysuru Palace to the family within 30 days. The Mysore Palace (Acquisition and Transfer) Act, 1998, she argued, does not cover the family’s private properties, a list of which was submitted to the Union government in 1947 and confirmed by V P Menon in 1951. She added that police restrictions affected traditional Dasara ceremonies. Pramoda Devi said her family’s continued residence in the palace was not a government favour but tied to subsisting High Court orders. She expressed willingness to meet the chief minister and ministers for talks on all outstanding issues. Update, 5 November 2026: Deccan Herald now also reports the press conference, confirming Pramoda Devi’s statement that her family’s residence in Mysuru Palace is protected by High Court orders, not government favour. It adds that she pointed to a 1950 agreement and a 1972 Union Home Ministry communication recognising private properties of rulers. No new government response is reported. ## Indian Opinion Analysis All three outlets report the same press conference with consistent quotes and facts: the royalty defence based on commercial use, the 1997 court order not complied with, the private property list from 1950-51, and the residence protected by court orders, not government favour. The Hindu and Deccan Herald both lead with the royalty justification, while Siasat leads with the court order non-compliance. The coverage is uniform straight reporting with no discernible slant, every source reproduces Pramoda Devi’s claims without challenge. No outlet reports a government response to her allegations, leaving the dispute open. ## Coverage Coverage: 3 sources, 3 neutral - thehindu.com (neutral report) Leads with royalty justification, reproduces family claims without challenge. - siasat.com (neutral report) Leads with court order non-compliance, straight reproduction of claims. - deccanherald.com (neutral report) Leads with residence protected by HC order, straight reporting of press conference. This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Tags: Dasara, Karnataka government, Mysuru Palace, Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, Yathindra Siddaramaiah Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/wadiyar-says-karnataka-pays-royalty-for-ambari-commercial-use/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/wadiyar-says-karnataka-pays-royalty-for-ambari-commercial-use/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/