HC allows wife to continue war hero's battle for government land

There is a ray of hope for the family of a war veteran who died last year waiting for justice The Bombay High Court HC has accepted a contempt proceeding against the state for not following its 2018 order to allot residential land and farmland to 1971 IndoPak war veteran Hindurao IngaleIngale had moved a contempt of court proceeding in June 2019 at the HC against the Satara collector and state revenue secretary for not providing him a parcel of land as per a Government Resolution GR of 1971A division bench of Justice K K Tated and Sarang Kotwal heard the matter where it was requested that Ingales widow Mantabai be allowed to continue with the contempt proceeding as a beneficiary The HC has given the state and Satara Collector two weeks to respondHindurao Ingale with his wife and family at his home in Satara File picsThe caseIngale breathed his last on August 25 2019 at the age of 74 at his home in Hingnole village Satara district He had served as a driver in the 1971 IndoPak war and had been fighting to secure a small piece of land promised under the 1971 GRThe HC had found Ingale eligible for agricultural land and a plot for a house and had directed the state to hand it to him in its February 2018 verdict on Ingales writ petition filed in April 2015When I am being made to run from courts to government offices despite being a warinjured soldier who had fought enemies in the 1971 war what will the government do for my wife after my demise Hindurao Ingale had said in June 2019Two days before his death he was telling me that he was worried about me I ignored him but today when he is no more and with no source of income and two jobless drunkard sons I am lonely and clueless Mantabai Hinduraos wife had told midday soon after his demiseMy husband was a soldier who sustained bullet injuries for the country After fourandahalf decades of fighting the Bombay High Court passed an order in our favour but the state machinery ensured that we never got justice Mantabai had saidAdvocate Rajeshwar Panchal who is appearing probono for the family said Considering the benefits to which Ingale was entitled under the GR the court prima facie was of the view that there was no compliance of the February 27 2018 order by the Satara Collector and the state government The GR clearly mandates allotment of either five acres of irrigated land or 10 acres of nonirrigated landThe Satara Collector had allotted him five acres of nonirrigated land which Ingale had refused to accept as the ground reality was different from what he was told Apart from being nonirrigated the land was also disputed Moreover the Collector failed to allot another three guntas for a houseOur contempt plea has been accepted by the HC and the Assistant Government Pleader AGP who represented the Respondent collector Satara and state government has been asked to file an affidavit The AGP told the HC that the 2018 order has been complied with which I objected to as an utter lie The court then asked for an affidavit The matter will be heard on February 28 nextThe contempt pleaPanchal has stated that Ingale is entitled to four hectares of dry crop or jirayat land or two hectares of seasonallyirrigated or paddy land or one hectare of perenniallyirrigated or bagayat land and a residential plot admeasuring up to 300 square metreIngale had requested for land in districts adjoining his own such as Pune Rural Ahmednagar or Nashik as the GR did not mention granting land in the district of the soldiers residenceApril 2015When Hindurao Ingale filed a writ petition for landFebruary 28 Day of next hearingCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates