High Court refuses to undo a 1982 consent decree on 33 acres of Bhandup land

Mumbai: In a dispute over 33 acres and 1.5 gunthas of land in survey numbers 159, 160 and 161 of the Bhandup Estate that has run for more than four decades, the Bombay High Court has upheld a consent decree passed in 1982. Justice Sandeep Marne dismissed a petition by the estate's co-owners seeking to have it set aside.

Rajaram Ohol had filed a suit on August 18, 1981, claiming ownership of the land by adverse possession after occupying it for a long time. On April 5, 1982, Mahendra Mehta, acting for the Bhandup Estate as its authorised representative, signed consent terms accepting Ohol's ownership, and the court passed a decree accordingly.

The court noted that ₹60,000 had been paid to the Bhandup Estate for the transaction and that there was evidence of the amount being credited to its account. The co-owners alleged that Mehta had misused his authority and colluded to obtain the decree.

Justice Marne said the petitioners had not given sufficient particulars of the alleged fraud, so no relief could be granted to them.

Sources: Pudhari; NavShakti