The Bombay High Court, which on Tuesday ordered the state government to allot land to a 1971 war veteran in four months, said “it is unfortunate that it took more than nine years for petitioner to get relief”. The petition was filed by Hindurao Ingale of Satara, an ex-Armyman and 1971 war veteran. Ingale’s petition filed by lawyer Rajeshwar Panchal, stated, “. While fighting for our nation, (he) sustained severe injuries as he incurred some bullet shots on his person, due to which he developed a disease of bones and is living with six screws in his legs, and he is presently virtually immobile and physically handicapped.” The petition states that a Government Resolution dated December 30, 1971, issued by the state government provided for grant of land for cultivation and for residential purposes to members of the Armed Forces and BSF from Maharashtra who were “wounded, disabled or have received awards for gallantry in the Indo-Pakistan conflict of 1971”. Panchal told The Indian Express that according to the Government Resolution, it is the responsibility of the collector of the respective district to allot land to the veterans as the beneficiaries might not be aware of such a resolution. He said that since 2002, Ingale has written to several dignitaries, including the Prime Minister, seeking land. One of the letters was sent to the collector of Satara, who wrote to Ingale in 2008, saying that they had received a letter making demands as per the Government Resolution of 1971. Panchal said that after Ingale received that letter, there was no follow-up from the collector’s office. In 2015, Ingale filed the petition seeking allotment of land. The state contended that as Ingale was not a recipient of a gallantry award, he was not entitled to benefits under the resolution. The court said the stand taken by the collector was “extremely shocking”. Panchal said the discharge book has information on the medals received by army personnel and the service book has information on injuries and wounds suffered during a war. The court noted that the collector had, instead of a service book, shown the court the discharge book which had no information on Ingale’s injuries. “It is unfortunate that district collector does not understand the difference of two books,” the court said. The bench of Justices A S Oka and R I Chagla noted that the three letters from the commanding officer, Medium Regiment, had not disputed the fact about injuries. It considered the letter of commanding officer and the Resolution and directed the government to allot him land in four months. In addition, the court asked the state to pay a cost of Rs 50,000 to Ingale in a month.
