Land allotted to descendant earmarked as ‘reserved forest’

The descendant of Bajiprabhu Deshpande, the renowned Marathi lieutenant who had saved great warrior king Shivaji Maharaj’s life by fighting the enemy till his last breath, has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court claiming the land allotted by the Maharashtra government has been encroached upon.

Ramchandra Kashinath Deshpande, descendant of Bajiprabhu Deshpande, was awarded five acres land by the Government of Maharashtra in recognition of his contribution to the country as a freedom fighter. In the State records, it is now ‘forest land.’

The authorities have failed to correct the records and clear the encroachment, a petition filed by Ramchandra Deshpande’s daughter Priya Raje claimed.

She has sought compensation from the government for “harassment caused to the family of a freedom fighter.”

“The petitioner submits that the respondents concerned have not followed the procedure for updating their records as regards the agricultural piece of land awarded to the family of the freedom fighter. It prima facie appears that the various statutory authorities [respondents] intend to grab the land allotted to the family of the freedom fighter,” the petition said.

In 1975, the State government had allotted five acres of agricultural land to Mr. Deshpande to honour him. He was also felicitated and rewarded by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1972. Mr. Deshpande, a social activist and freedom fighter, had participated in the ‘Quit India Movement’ in 1942. He was an educationist who worked in Dhule, Jalgaon and Pune for the spread of education, the petition said.

Ms. Raje said that her father was also conferred the special status of ‘Special Executive Magistrate’ by the Maharashtra government in 1989.

But after his demise in 1995, the land records were changed to include the names of his sons and daughters. A few years later, Ms. Raje lost her brothers too. When she approached the local Revenue Department for updating the revenue entries, “the petitioner was shocked to know that the said land was earmarked as ‘reserved forest’,” the petition filed through advocates Avinash Gokhale and Mayuresh Modgi said.

Ms. Raje claimed that a private survey by her further revealed that a permanent cremation ground was constructed on her agricultural plots. Though the authorities, in a separate correspondence, have admitted that the structure is illegal, they have themselves constructed a shed and compound wall for the cremation ground, the petition said.

She said that despite several letters and reminders, the authorities have not changed the records. “The petitioner states that the treatment given by the State to the legal heirs of the freedom fighter is horrible and equally condemnable. The petitioner fears that if such treatment continues the generation next will not be interested in standing by any national, social cause,” Ms. Raje said.