Pradyot Kishore’s Claim Over Agartala, Teliamura and Kanchanpur Land Ownership Not Supported by Tripura Merger Agreement

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, September 12, 2025

Recent remarks by Tipra Motha founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarma,claiming that all land in Agartala, Teliamura and Kanchanpur belongs to him, have sparked controversy. However, official records and historical documents reveal that such claims are inconsistent with the Tripura Merger Agreement of 1949 and subsequent constitutional provisions.

The Tripura Merger Agreement, signed on September 9, 1949, between the Maharaja of Tripura and the Government of India, clearly states that the Maharaja ceded full and exclusive authority, jurisdiction and powers of governance to the Dominion Government effective from October 15, 1949. Under Article I of the agreement, administration and ownership rights of the state passed to the Government of India.

Article II ensured that the Maharaja would receive a privy purse of Rs. 3.6 lakhs annually for his personal and family maintenance, but it did not provide him perpetual ownership of land across Tripura.

However, after some time the privy purse clause was amended, and the Central Government stopped transferring the amount.

Article III further distinguished between private properties of the Maharaja and state properties, requiring the Maharaja to submit an inventory of his immovable properties to the Government of India by October 10, 1949. This made a legal separation between his personal assets and state-owned land.

Legal experts point out that any land not listed under the Maharaja’s personal property at the time of merger automatically vested with the Government of India and, later, the state of Tripura. Thus, blanket claims of ownership over Agartala, Teliamura and Kanchanpur contradict both the Merger Agreement and constitutional principles.

Historians and legal analysts emphasize that while the royal family of Tripura continues to enjoy certain social recognition and privileges as per Article IV of the agreement, ownership of public and community land rests entirely with the state.

Pradyot Kishore’s recent remarks, therefore, appear to be historically and legally inaccurate in light of the binding Tripura Merger Agreement of 1949.

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