Summary: In a legal battle over land ownership, the Bombay High Court ruled in favor of Mrs. Manjulabai Gaikwad, ordering Mrs. Anjanabai Gore to return the disputed land and pay damages. The case revolved around claims of unauthorized possession and adverse possession.
Mrs. Anjanabai Rajaram Gore and Mrs. Manjulabai Baban Gaikwad, both residents of Sangammer, Nashik, found themselves in a legal fight over a piece of land. The conflict began when Manjulabai claimed ownership of the land, which originally belonged to her late husband, Baban Gaikwad, who passed away in 1971.
Manjulabai argued that after her husband's death, the land was rightfully hers. As she was too young to manage it at the time, her father took care of it. She found out in 1984 that Anjanabai's name was wrongly listed in the official records. Manjulabai worked to correct this, and by October 1984, her name was back in the records.
"Manjulabai filed the case to get the land back on 29th June 1987."
Anjanabai argued that she had been using the land since 1971, claiming it was given to her by Manjulabai. She also said that since she had been on the land for so long, she should be considered the owner because of a rule that allows someone to claim ownership if they use the land for a long time without being challenged.
Both the first court and the appeals court sided with Manjulabai. They decided that Anjanabai was on the land without permission and that her claim of owning it because she had been there a long time wasn't valid. The courts noted that Anjanabai couldn't prove the land was given to her or that she had a right to it because of how long she'd been there.
"The case to get the land back, filed on 29th June 1987, was within the allowed time."
The court stressed that to claim ownership by being on the land a long time, one needs to prove they were openly using it against the real owner's rights. Since Anjanabai couldn't prove this, the court decided that Manjulabai's case was filed in time and was fair.
Judge Gauri Godse ended the case by rejecting Anjanabai's appeal, confirming Manjulabai's ownership, and ordering the return of the land along with damages.
