Ravindranath Shanbhag, president of the Human Rights Protection Foundation (HRPF), said on Tuesday that a 65-year-old woman from Puttur village near Udupi, who went through a harrowing time after losing her properties to her stepdaughter, is now finally hopeful of getting her properties back thanks to the orders of the Senior Citizens Tribunal.
Addressing presspersons here, Dr. Shanbhag said the tribunal, established under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, has revoked the settlement deed of several properties transferred to her stepdaughter, who hails from Italy.
He said Mary D’Souza, widow of Vigil D’Souza, realised that she was cheated by her stepdaughter, Julia D’Souza, and approached the tribunal through the HRPF. The tribunal passed an order revoking the settlement deed of properties and directed the sub-registrar, Udupi, and tahsildar of Udupi taluk to ensure that the properties are transferred.
Vigil had bought 1.25 acres of land, a house, shopping complexes and a residential apartment in Puttur village after he married Mary in 1998 after the death of his first wife, Theresa D’Souza, in Italy. Julia, daughter of Vigil from his first wife, came here when Vigil died in May 2013.
It was then that Ms. Julia mad e Ms. Mary sign some papers by deceiving her. Ms. Mary was in deep depression because of her husband’s death. Without knowing the consequences, Ms. Mary transferred the properties that her husband had registered in her name to Julia, Dr. Shanbhag said.
After this, Ms. Mary allegedly had to suffer physical and mental torture from Ms. Julia and she had almost decided to abandon her house in Puttur to look after her aged mother. Even a police complaint could not protect her from this, he said.
With the help of the HRPF, Ms. Mary filed a complaint with the tribunal. In its order, the tribunal said the transfer of property shall be deemed to have been made by fraud, coercion or under undue influence and declared it null. The t ribunal has also ordered the tenants of the building to pay rent to Ms. Mary, Dr. Shanbhag said.
