Justice Delayed Till Death: The 53-Year Legal Battle of Sopan Gaikwad
Sopan Narsinga Gaikwad’s decades-long land dispute, stretching from 1968 to the Supreme Court of India, ended with his death at 108 before justice could be delivered.
The story of Sopan Narsinga Gaikwad stands as a stark reminder of how prolonged legal battles can outlive those seeking justice. A resident of rural Maharashtra, Gaikwad began his legal fight in the late 1960s over a disputed piece of land he believed he had lawfully purchased.
In 1968, at around 55 years of age, Gaikwad bought a plot through a registered sale deed from a private owner. He later discovered that the same land had already been mortgaged to a bank by the seller, who had taken a loan and defaulted. The bank subsequently issued a notice to attach the property.
Claiming he was a bona fide purchaser, Gaikwad approached the trial court, arguing that the bank should recover its dues from the original owner’s other assets rather than his land. After years of proceedings, the trial court ruled in his favour on September 10, 1982.
The relief was short-lived. In 1987, the earlier decision was overturned on appeal. Undeterred, Gaikwad filed a second appeal in the Bombay High Court in 1988. What followed was decades of delay, with the case remaining pending for nearly 27 years.
In 2015, the High Court dismissed the appeal, reportedly due to non-appearance by lawyers. A restoration application filed in 2019 was also dismissed. Further delays were attributed to late communication in his rural setting and disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
On July 12, 2021, the Supreme Court of India agreed to hear Gaikwad’s appeal, taking into account his age and condoning the long delay. However, before the matter could be decided, Gaikwad died at the age of 108.
The Supreme Court later noted that the High Court had dismissed the case on procedural grounds without examining the merits of his claim. After his death, the apex court permitted his legal heirs to continue the case.
Gaikwad’s decades-long struggle underscores a troubling reality: justice delayed can ultimately become justice denied, especially for those who spend a lifetime waiting for their day in court.
