DR. KARAN SINGH vs STATE OF J&K

The Supreme Court addressed the ownership of 563 articles in the Toshakhana of Jammu & Kashmir, determining that the appellant, son of Maharaja Hari Singh, could not claim these items as private property since they were not listed in the Maharaja's declaration of private properties to the Government of India. The Court held that the articles were state property and not personal heirlooms, thus rejecting the appellant's claim for their return. The Court emphasized the distinction between state property and private property following the abolition of the rulership under the Constitution (Twenty-Sixth Amendment) Act, 1971.