New Delhi/ Hubballi: In a significant judgment, the Supreme Court has ruled in favour of two sisters from North Karnataka in a long-running land dispute involving the family of Law Minister H.K. Patil. The apex court, in its December 9 order, declared that the 15-gunta land parcel near Pinto Circle in Hubballi rightfully belongs to the sisters Savakka Sullada of Hubballi and Jakkavva of Dharwad.

The sisters had approached the Supreme Court alleging that the Patil family had encroached upon their ancestral property and refused to hand it back despite multiple legal attempts.

They argued that the minister’s family had been illegally holding on to the land for decades.

The dispute traces back to 1894, when the sisters’ father Maritammappa Amarashetty leased 5 acres of land to the Indian Cotton Company for 10 years.

In 1941, one Siddalingappa Bulla purchased the leasehold rights from the company. Later, in 1964, H.K. Patil’s father K.H. Patil acquired a sub-lease of 15 gunta from Bulla.

However, neither the Bulla family nor the Patil family returned the land to the original owners after the lease tenure ended.

This forced Savakka and Jakkavva to move the courts seeking restoration of their ancestral property.

In 2024, the Supreme Court had already ruled in favour of the sisters, stating that the Bulla family had no ownership over the land and therefore could not withhold it.

While the Bulla family complied with the order, the Patil family challenged the ruling, leading the sisters to approach the Supreme Court once again.

The Supreme Court’s latest ruling upheld the sisters’ claim, marking a decisive end to the 135-year legal battle.

Relieved and emotional, Savakka and Jakkavva said they were “happy that justice has finally prevailed” and that their ancestral land had been restored to them after more than a century.

The verdict is being viewed as a significant affirmation of land rights and legal ownership, even when pitted against powerful political families.