NALGONDA: After legal battles, alleged harassment and financial distress, a 71-year-old man and his 66-year-old wife have finally regained possession of their home in Miryalaguda after Nalgonda collector B Chandrasekhar invoked the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, and ordered the eviction of their younger son.
Enzam Ramana Reddy and Chandrakala, residents of Housing Board Colony in Miryalaguda, alleged that their younger son, Dayakar Reddy, subjected them to years of harassment, including filing 22 cases against them, forging property documents and attempting to take control of their assets. In February, a case was also registered against Dayakar under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007.
The couple has two sons and a daughter. While the elder son is settled in the US and their daughter is married, they said they had transferred nearly four acres of land to Dayakar as he was unemployed. They also supported his wife and daughters by allowing them to stay in their house at Enjamvarigudem village in Neredcherla mandal and sustain themselves through lease income, Rythu Bandhu benefits and milk sales.
Using their savings, Ramana and Chandrakala later built a house in Miryalaguda Housing Board Colony and purchased an adjoining three-guntas plot. According to the couple, Dayakar moved into the new house with his family on the pretext of educating his children.
They alleged that in October 2022, Dayakar created forged registration documents claiming that the house had been sold to his wife. When the elderly couple later sought to move into the Miryalaguda house due to failing health, they were allegedly forced out. Fearing legal repercussions, local residents avoided intervening, they said. With no place to stay, the couple returned to their village home in Enjamvarigudem.
Speaking to TNIE, Chandrakala alleged that her son subsequently blocked their Rythu Bandhu benefits and intimidated villagers against taking their land on lease, pushing them into financial hardship. She further claimed that he filed 22 cases in various courts against them using fabricated allegations related to dowry harassment and land disputes, forcing them to make repeated court appearances.
The prolonged stress took a toll on the family, she said.
Elderly couple seeks protection from son
Ramana Reddy reportedly suffered a paralytic stroke and now requires regular treatment. According to Chandrakala, the couple spends nearly `15,000 a month on medicines and medical tests for paralysis, knee pain and other age-related ailments.
The couple currently survives on financial assistance sent by their daughter and elder son in the US. Chandrakala said her elder son, who last visited India in June 2022, wishes to return to see his parents but fears becoming entangled in legal disputes initiated by his younger brother.
She also alleged that Dayakar had previously hired goons to pressure them into transferring their remaining properties and had physically assaulted them while they were working in their fields, leading to a police complaint.
With their health deteriorating and no secure place to live, the couple approached the district collector seeking protection and restoration of their Miryalaguda residence. Following an inquiry, Chandrasekhar ordered the eviction of Dayakar from the property.
M Nagireddy of the Senior Citizens Division in the District Welfare Office confirmed that the house was formally handed back to the elderly couple in the presence of revenue and police officials.
“We never intended to take our hard-earned houses and lands to the grave. Everything would eventually go to our children anyway. We cannot understand why our younger son chose to torture us so ruthlessly for property,” the couple lamented.
Although they have regained possession of the Miryalaguda house, the couple now fears that Dayakar may attempt to take over their village property as well.
They alleged that he had threatened to break open the locks of the house and said they plan to raise the issue before the collector during the Prajavani programme at the Nalgonda Collectorate on Monday.
