108-year-old Sopan Narsingha Gaikwad, from the Indian state of Maharashtra, dies before hearing his 53-year-old land case
Supan Narsingha Gaikwad, a 108-year-old man from the Indian state of Maharashtra, died before his 53-year-old land case could be heard.
The 108-year-old had been waiting for justice for more than five decades and was finally granted a hearing by the Indian Supreme Court on July 12 this year. However, Sopan Narsingha died before the hearing could begin.
Sopan Narsinga's legal battle began in 1968 when he bought a piece of land.
According to Indian media, Sopan Narsingha Gaikwad bought a plot in 1968 but later found out that the person who sold the land to him had mortgaged the land in exchange for a loan from the bank.
When the original owner of the land did not repay the loan, the bank sent a notice to Gaikwad. Gaikwad then appealed to the court against the original owner of the land and the bank, requesting that they be the buyers of the land so that the bank could recover its loan amount from the original owner and declare them the sole owner of the land.
The case was heard in a trial court for 14 years, after which the court ruled in favor of Gaikwad in 1982, but the opposition approached the Mumbai High Court to appeal the decision.
Narasangha's plea was rejected in 2015 after 27 years in the Mumbai High Court and Gaikwad could not go to court as he lived in the village. His lawyer appealed to the Supreme Court against the High Court's decision. Decided but Gaikwad died before the hearing.
Sopan Narsinga's lawyer says that unfortunately, the person who brought his case from the trial court to the Supreme Court did not even survive to hear that the court has agreed to hear his case.
He had died before the court hearing on July 12, but the news of his death came from the village after the hearing. He will now be represented in the case by his legal heirs.
The Supreme Court has sought reply from the parties within 8 weeks.
