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being the end of April, the court was about to break for summer recess. It seemed that all was lost. By the time the court re-opened, the children would be long gone. Here the kindhearted judge however granted a reprieve. He allowed the plaintiff to take the matter up with the High Court in Madras. The first signs were not promising. The first Justice who heard the suit dismissed it out of hand. Undeterred, the Maharaja pursued another appeal. The High Court too would now break for summer, and it was suggested that the Vacation Judges would hear it. However, the Court of Wards said that the passage for the children had already been booked and they had to soon catch the ship that would take them to England. As the Officiating Chief Justice, it was up to Justice Subba Rao. He agreed to have the case heard, for, as he said, %u201cif the minors are to be sent out of the country as intended, they must, we understand, take (the) train in an hour or two%u201d. The clock was ticking. Cases normally took months if not years %u2013 and here a kingdom was to be decided over a summer afternoon. So began the saga of %u2018The Rajah of Vizianagaram vs The Secretary of State for India%u2019, as entered in the register. Even as the city lay prostrate under the heat, the arguments began. Appearing for the Court of Wards was the Advocate-General himself, Alladi Krishnaswamy Ayyar. Ayyar was a legal eagle of the highest order and would later go on to play a key role in the drafting of the Constitution of India. He was known for his incisive arguments, as well as the ability to quote from prior cases using his phenomenal memory. It was no wonder that an audience had gathered in the courtroom.16