Amid Panna Royal Family Dispute, Maharani Jiteshwari Devi Arrested: Reports

Maharani Jiteshwari Devi, of Madhya Pradesh's Panna royals, was reportedly arrested Thursday amid the family's ongoing property dispute.

As per reports, the arrest comes following a complaint from the family matriarch and Jiteshwari Devi's mother-in-law Rajmata Dilhar Kumari. Besides Devi, an FIR has reportedly been registered against over half a dozen people of the family, including her husband Maharaja Raghvendra.

Charges against them include threatening Kumari with death and a case has been registered under the Arms Act, local reports by News24 MP suggest. Videos show Jiteshwari Devi being escorted into the police vehicle, reportedly to take her to court.

Who Is Maharani Jiteshwari Devi & What Is The Dispute?

A rift in the erstwhile royal family, which resides in the sprawling Raj Mandir palace and owns properties across Panna, has been going steady for well over a decade.

Spats between the Rajmata and the Maharani have often spilled over into the public as both are divided over the share of the royal property.

Back in 2015, Devi had made public the will of Panna's ex-Maharaja (Rajmata's husband) Manvendra Singh, alleging it claimed his property should go to his granddaughter (Devi's daughter).

As per Times of India, Devi had alleged then that Krishna Kumari was an illegitimate child of Manvendra Singh and hence could not partake in the property. The Rajmata had rubbished her claims, calling it a "forged document" intended to prevent Krishna Kumari from her rightful share.

Reports suggest that Raghvendra, husband of Jiteshwari Devi, was in 2005 put in jail after his father, the Maharaja claimed he stole lakhs from the family.

Image: Sarokaar News / YouTube screengrab