I inherited agricultural land following the death of my father in the early 1990’s. Although the land was transferred into my name shortly after my father’s death, I never received any income generated from the land and despite raising this with my family in India, they continued to farm the land and take all proceeds. Once it became clear that my family in India had no intention to provide my share of farmed income, a family member recommended that I speak with NRI legal who could assist in the matter.
Being a cautious person, I was initially sceptical about the idea of using a firm in another country but took assurance from the fact that they had a presence in the UK and other international cities. Once introduced to the firm, it became immediately clear to me that I was dealing with a firm who are extremely professional and whose sole purpose is to serve NRI’s who have land or property issues in India and are reluctant to visit India in person to resolve the matter.
Initial engagement was via email followed by regular video calls and occasional meetings directly in person at UK offices. NRI legal initially recommended that they undertake research to establish the ownership status of my land, the specific location of the land and its market value. The report which they eventually provided was very detailed, land terminology was explained in English and land ownership dating back to my grandparents and father was provided. The report also detailed how land had been transferred over the years, the dates this occurred and the names of any parties involved.
This report allowed me to then subsequently challenge my family in India and surprise them how much knowledge I have of the land and how transfers had been made both pre and post my father’s death. Also, alerting them to the fact that I had engaged with a professional law firm also meant that they had to take me seriously. This was a great shift in power as previously my lack of knowledge was being taken advantage of by my family in India.
Following the research and a continued breakdown in relationship with my family in India, NRI legal were then able to subsequently file for a partition of the land in question so that my share is ring-fenced away from my family. Following completion of this process, NRI legal has also assisted with the sale of the land, dealing with the prospective buyers, ensuring my interests were protected in every part of the process.
Throughout each stage I have been in regular dialogue with the team, in particular the CEO Mohit Anand who has been able to discuss each stage of the process in English and provide recommendations on the best course of action to take.
I therefore have no hesitation in recommending NRI legal to anyone who has similar land or property issues in India. The Indian law system is not easy for NRI’s to understand and can be very protracted. In addition, multiple trips would normally be required if attempting to do this yourself, which carries with it cost and is time consuming.
Thank you to all at NRI for helping to resolve a very complicated dispute and really appreciate your professional help. I know this matter would not have been resolved to a satisfactory conclusion without you!!