A family land dispute in Namakkal District has been resolved by the High Court of Madras. Here's a breakdown of what happened and the court's decision.
The case involved Sarasu and Manimegalai, who brought the case, against Mani @ Venkatachalam and others. The main issue was about splitting up family land left by Ramasamy Gounder in Namakkal District.
The argument was about two pieces of land, called Suit Item No.1 and Suit Item No.2. These lands were originally owned by Ramasamy Gounder. After he passed away in 1990, there was a question about how these lands should be divided among his family members.
Sarasu and Manimegalai said that as daughters of Ramasamy Gounder, they should get a share of the lands according to the Hindu Succession Act, especially after the 2005 change that gave daughters the same rights as sons.
Mani @ Venkatachalam and others argued that there was a spoken agreement in 1982, which split the lands between Ramasamy Gounder and his sons. They believed this agreement meant the lands were already divided, and the daughters didn't have a claim.
Suit Item No.1: The court decided that this land was indeed family property. But, because of a spoken family deal, it was divided equally among Ramasamy Gounder and his two sons. The court ruled that the daughters should get a share based on the 2005 change in the law.
Suit Item No.2: This land was sold in a court auction and couldn't be divided. The court noted that Sarasu and Manimegalai didn’t include the necessary people involved in the auction, making their claim on this land invalid.
Justice N. Sathish Kumar and Justice R. Sakthivel decided on February 3, 2026, that:
