A much talked about land dispute in Mumbai's posh area Pali Hill has finally been decided after 34 years. This decision has come in favor of late filmmaker Kamal Amrohi and Hindi cinema's tragedy queen Meena Kumari. In its order given on May 26, the court has directed the Kojihome Co-operative Housing Society to vacate the land within six months.

In fact, in the year 1959, Kamal Amrohi and Meena Kumari bought about 11,000 square yards of land in Pali Hill area of Bandra. A few years later, in 1966, this land was rented to Kojihome Housing Society, so that residential buildings could be built there. The fixed rent was kept at only 8,835 per month. With the passage of time, this agreement became a cause of dispute. It is alleged that the society did not pay the rent on time and violated many terms of the contract. Due to this, Kamal Amrohi terminated the lease in 1990 and started a legal battle for the return of the land in 1991.

In this case that lasted for about 34 years, finally the appellate bench of the Court of Small Causes gave the verdict in favor of Kamal Amrohi's son Tajdar Amrohi. The bench of Justice Ashish Ayachit and D.R. Mali held that the society has shown deliberate negligence in not paying the rent and has violated Section 12 (3) of the Bombay Rent Act.

The court said in its verdict that the society has committed a serious breach of contract by not paying the fixed rent continuously and now it has no right over this land. Therefore, the court ordered that Kojihome Housing Society should vacate this land within six months and hand it over to Tajdar Amrohi. This verdict is not only the end of a long dispute, but also shows that justice, even if delayed, stands in favor of truth.