Mangalore: Cheated by relatives, 'dead' man fights for justice

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Mar 16: Ramanna Shetty from Bodantila village in Bantwal taluk is in a strange situation. He has been deemed dead by his relatives even though he is very much alive. He even possesses his own death certificate.

Ramanna submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district on Thursday March 14, seeking redressal of his grievances. After perusing his appeal and the the he went through, the deputy commissioner, N Prakash, on Friday, ordered both the tahsildar of Bantwal and chief officer of Bantwal municipality to inquire into the case and provide feedback.

Shetty says that he had gone to Mumbai in 2002 in search of a job, and had become unconscious while driving a truck thereafter. After he was treated, he was admitted into an orphanage run by Mother Teresa Charitable Trust, Shantidhan Church, Borivli (west), Mumbai, as his address was not known to them. The people in the Ashram did not allow him to venture out, as he was treated as mentally unstable. A woman from the city, who visited the Ashram, identified him and helped him to join his family members, he explained.

“When I was in Mumbai, some of my relatives provided false information to Bantwal municipality, secured a death certificate in my name, and got 1.09 acres of my landed property transferred in their name after misleading the officials to believe that I did not have any legal heirs. The said land was in my name, I paid land revenue, and have wife and son. The death certificate gives my date of death as November 24, 2004, even though I am alive,” Shetty, who has become physically very weak, lamented.

Ramanna Shetty’s son, Satish Shetty, said that the family had tried to locate his father by visiting Mumbai, but did not succeed. He said that he came to know that the property was transferred to someone else, during his visit to revenue office in 2006 for paying land revenue, and that a court case was filed thereafter. The family now eagerly awaits justice.