The Karnataka High Court has come down heavily on a litigant in a protracted property dispute, imposing a hefty fine of Rs 1 lakh for wasting the court's precious time with a case rooted in alleged forgery. The bench of Justice Rajesh Rai, in a stern order passed on December 16, 2025, emphasized that such conduct must be dealt with using "iron hands." The legal battle, spanning over two decades, revolves around a prime piece of land measuring slightly over three acres in Hosahalli village, Bengaluru North.
The Genesis of the Two-Decade Legal Battle
The core of the dispute dates back to a plot classified as "thoti inam" or grant land. The original legal heirs were two brothers, Muninanjappa and Nanjundappa, who successfully obtained a re-grant of the lands in 1973. Despite a rival claim from one Munivenkatamma at the time, the brothers secured the property. They later executed a registered will in favour of their adopted heir, Narayanappa.
The controversy reignited in 2006. After Narayanappa's death, his heirs engaged the services of Munivenkatamma's son, who worked as a helper to the village accountant, for documentation related to a potential land sale. It was during this process that he allegedly created a fake partition deed in his mother's favour and managed to insert her name into the official revenue records.
Forgery Allegations and the Court's Scrutiny
While the Assistant Commissioner of Bengaluru North initially cancelled these fraudulent revenue entries, Munivenkatamma challenged and succeeded in reinstating them before the Deputy Commissioner. This prompted the legal heirs of Narayanappa to approach the Karnataka High Court as petitioners in 2012.
During the proceedings, the petitioners' counsel argued that the partition deed was a complete forgery, executed with fabricated signatures. They highlighted that a related criminal case had already led to a chargesheet being filed against Munivenkatamma and others by the Bagalur police in 2013 under IPC sections for cheating and forgery.
In her defence, Munivenkatamma's counsel claimed she was the foster daughter of one of the original brothers, Muninanjappa, and that the heirs of Narayanappa had willingly executed the partition deed with her in 2006. However, the court found these claims utterly baseless.
Court's Stern Rebuke and the 'Iron Hands' Directive
Justice Rai's order delivered a sharp rebuke, noting that Munivenkatamma "failed to produce any iota of evidence or documents" to prove she was Muninanjappa's foster daughter. In contrast, the petitioners had produced the legitimate registered will.
"I hold that respondent No 4 (Munivenkatamma), being a stranger to the petitioners and no way connected to the subject lands, by concocting the documents, dragged the petitioners before the Authorities and this Court for unlawful gain," the judge stated.
The court was particularly critical of the prolonged litigation. "Respondent No 4 dragged the dispute for more than a decade for one or the other reason. This conduct of respondent No 4 has to be deprecated as she not only dragged the petitioners before this court, but also wasted the precious time of the court… The said conduct of respondent No. 4 has to be dealt with iron hands by imposing costs," Justice Rai added.
Consequently, the bench directed that the fine of Rs 1 lakh be paid to the Karnataka Legal Services Authority within one month. This ruling underscores the judiciary's growing intolerance towards frivolous litigation and the misuse of legal processes, especially in property disputes where forged documents are used to lay claim.
