JAIPUR: While princely states may have ceased to exist, the use of titles such as “Maharaj” and “Princess” persists among certain descendants of royal families. However, the Rajasthan High Court has put a stop to this practice in legal proceedings. Justice Mahendra Kumar Goyal has ordered the heirs of the former Jaipur royal family to remove these honorifics from their petitions, under the threat of having their ongoing 24-year-old case dismissed. The final deadline for compliance has been set for October 13.
In his direction, Justice Goyal specified that the petitioners must file an amended cause title without the prefixes “Maharaj” and “Princess” for both the petitioners and the respondent. He warned that failure to comply would result in automatic dismissal of the case without further consideration from the court.
The ruling comes as part of petitions filed in 2001 by the legal heirs of late Jagat Singh and Prithviraj Singh, who are challenging the collection of house tax by local municipal authorities. The judge raised concerns regarding the relevance of royal titles in a modern republic, questioning why such terms should still appear in legal documents.
This is not the first time the court has addressed the use of royal honorifics. In January 2022, the Jaipur bench had voiced similar objections in related cases, seeking clarifications from both the Union and Rajasthan governments regarding the continued use of royal designations. Furthermore, the principal seat of the Jodhpur High Court has also flagged this issue in various other petitions.
