Can Karnataka Demolish Mysuru’s Heritage Buildings? Supreme Court Says No, Calls for IIT Roorkee Report

The Supreme Court of India has on September 2, 2025 brushed aside the Karnataka government’s move to demolish the historic Devaraja Market and Lansdowne Building in Mysuru. The Court held that both structures carry immense cultural, historic and architectural significance and directed that their possibility of preservation must be examined before any decision on demolition is taken.

A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and Sandeep Mehta recorded that a report submitted earlier by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) indicated that both buildings could be preserved through repairs and retrofitting. The bench observed, “Prima facie, we are of the view, more particularly, having regard to the report of INTACH that if it is possible to preserve the two structures, as they are, with some repairs or renovations then nothing like that.”

The Karnataka government, represented by Senior Advocate Devadatt Kamat, defended its decision by stating that the State had taken a conscious decision to bring down the two structures and reconstruct them with the same facade and heritage look. The submission was that since the buildings are located within the State, the government would have primacy and discretion in such matters.

Rejecting this argument for the time being, the Court said that it wanted an additional independent report on the matter. “Although there is one report of INTACH as an expert body yet we would still like to call for one another report from the IIT, Roorkee,” the bench said. The Court therefore issued notice to the Director of IIT Roorkee, asking the institute to form an expert committee for the purpose of evaluating the current condition of Devaraja Market and Lansdowne Building. The committee has been directed to assess to what extent the two buildings can be preserved as heritage structures.

The Court further directed that the committee must undertake its exercise at the earliest and file a report in a sealed cover within eight weeks. In order to facilitate the exercise, the Mysuru City Corporation has been asked to deposit Rs 5 lakh with IIT Roorkee towards expenses that the committee may incur for inspection, survey and preparation of the report.

The petition in the Supreme Court was filed by G Satyanarayana alias Gouri Satya and another, challenging the judgment and order passed by the High Court of Karnataka at Bengaluru on August 8, 2023. The High Court had rejected a public interest litigation which sought to restrain the demolition and reconstruction of Devaraja Market and Lansdowne Building in Mysuru. The High Court had permitted the State’s plan to demolish and rebuild.

In the present proceedings, the Supreme Court noted that INTACH’s expert report had already assessed the status of both buildings. The INTACH report stated that Devaraja Market is a heritage structure designated in Group A of the Master Plan 2031 prepared by the Mysore Urban Development Authority. The Master Plan places Devaraja Market in the same stringent development control zone as the Amba Vilas Palace, also known as the Mysore Palace. The report recorded that Devaraja Market is of immense importance and requires restoration as a heritage building rather than demolition.

According to INTACH, the market can be preserved by adopting relatively minimal structural interventions while retaining the original form, character and intrinsic heritage values associated with it. The report recommended that repair and retrofitting strategies should follow established conservation doctrines to ensure that the building’s heritage character is not compromised.

Similar observations were made in respect of Lansdowne Building, which is also situated in the heart of Mysuru and holds historic and architectural value. The INTACH report concluded that both structures could be preserved if appropriate conservation measures were adopted.

The Supreme Court in its order said, “What we have been able to gather from the Report of INTACH is that the structures can be preserved and some repair or retrofitting is required to be undertaken.”

The bench clarified that it would consider the matter further only after receiving the additional expert report from IIT Roorkee. The report is expected to give an independent evaluation on whether preservation of the two heritage buildings is structurally feasible and to what extent repairs can retain their cultural value.

The case is now listed for further hearing after the report is submitted. The Supreme Court’s order ensures that no demolition can be carried out until the independent assessment is complete.

Case Title: G Satyanarayana alias Gouri Satya & Anr Vs The State of Karnataka & Ors

Judgment Date: September 2, 2025

Bench: Justices J B Pardiwala and Sandeep Mehta