LUCKNOW: A Rs 40,000 agreement involving 5.79 acres (3 full-size football pitches) of land that triggered a legal battle spanning nearly four decades was finally ended at a panchayat on Friday, where the rival sides agreed to a Rs 33 lakh settlement following mediation by Kulpahar SDM Aadesh Singh Sagar.The dispute concerns land in Sugira village, where consolidation proceedings had begun in 1979. On Dec 22, 1987, Prakash Chandra entered into a registered agreement with Malkhan Singh for Rs 40,000, receiving Rs 10,000 as initial payment.However, on April 25, 1988, the disputed land was sold through a registered sale deed to Kandhilal and Arvind. Kandhilal was subsequently recorded as a transferable tenure-holder in consolidation records in Feb 1989, triggering a prolonged battle over competing rights.In April 1992, a civil court ruled in Malkhan’s favour. In 2009, the consolidation officer also recorded his name after considering the sale deed and civil court judgment.The order was overturned by the deputy director of consolidation in 2013 on jurisdictional grounds, observing that publication under section 6-A had already taken place.The dispute subsequently moved through mutation proceedings and appeals before revenue authorities. Malkhan again approached the tehsil for mutation in 2023, leading to further orders and appeals.With proceedings still pending in 2026, SDM Sagar initiated mediation and brought the rival sides together. The history of the dispute and continuing litigation were discussed during a panchayat, where both sides agreed to settle the matter instead of pursuing further court proceedings.Under the settlement, Kandhilal’s heirs Rambabu, Kusum and Guddo agreed to pay Rs 33 lakh to Malkhan. Malkhan, in turn, gave a written undertaking to end the dispute and not pursue further litigation concerning the land.In July, the same SDM had resolved another 35-year-old land record issue involving two Mahoba farmers. Sagar used village-level factual verification to correct incomplete names in revenue records, avoiding lengthy litigation and enabling the farmers to access land-related services and welfare benefits.
