Nizam money is ours, says TS

Centre sought crucial historic documents from Tarnaka archives

The Central government has been following up the Hyderabad Funds case with the Telangana state government as the required documents supposedly stored at the Tarnaka archives have not been found.

Officials of the External Affairs ministry have visited the city thrice till date to search for the documents.

Meanwhile senior state government officials who are handling the case said that the Centre could not be a claimant since the funds were transferred from the Hyderabad government. They say that the TS government should be the claimant as it is the successor of the Nizam's government.

Speaking to DC, a senior government officer said, “The funds were transferred from the Hyderabad account to London in 194748. It should be remem- bered that Hyderabad was an independent state even after August 15, 1947. But after the state of Hyderabad came under the Central government, small portions were attached to Karnataka and Maharashtra. The funds transferred were from the Government of Hyderabad whose successor is the government of Telangana.

"GOI has been pursuing the evidence with the TS government after the state was bifurcated. While the evidence is in Hyderabad, these files can substantiate the GOI's claim. However no one knows where the files are, neither does the GOI have any original documents to pursue it. It is the government of TS that can claim it as it is the successor of the Government of the Nizam.”

The last visit of officials from the External Affairs ministry was five months ago, however, the files were not found. Mr A.K. Goyal, advisor to the government of TS, had accompanied the officials in their search for the documents at the archives.