Indian palace seizings

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33791, 13 March 1975, Page 8

Indian palace seizings

(IWZ P.A.Reuter—Copyright) NEW DELHI

Indian tax officials have taken charge of nearly one ton of gold in bricks, coins and other objects during invesiigatigations into the fabulous wealth of the former ruling family of Jaipur.

The Minister of Finance {Mr Chidambaram Subramanian) told Parliament that other seizings from the | family's palaces in Jaipur and flats in New Delhi included half a ton of silver and priceless jewellery. “A preliminary assessment of the material discovered in ■■he course of the search leads to the conclusion that there has been very heavy concealment of income and wealth by the members of the family," the Minister said.

The Jaipur family is I headed by the Maharani I Gayatri Devi, aged 52, the ; widow of the former Jaipur 'Maharaja, who was often i seen at jet-set parties in ! Europe, and died in Britain I five years ago, while playing [polo. He was succeeded by his i eldest son, Lieutenant-; ; Colonel Bhawani Singh, whei i was awarded India’s second-; highest gallantry award for I his part in the 1971 Bangladesh war. In the same year, ' he and other princely rulers of India were stripped of their titles and tax-free pen-i sions. i