305. Resolving property disputes

with relatives in India

Q. Dear Sir/Madam: I belong to a farmer's family from Karnataka. I was a green card holder when my mother gifted me half an acre land. Now I am a US citizen. I have an estranged brother who never bothered about my mom or any of us since 1987. My mom died in 2009. Now he has made the local A.C.'s send a notice to me that I have done illegal action. I would have to pay Rs. 5000 a day penalty starting from the day it was registered till I cancel it. He has filed for inquiry at the central government and someone is investigating I believe. What do I do now? Any suggestions would be definitely appreciated. Thanks for your time. A. Many non resident Indians are faced with disputes regarding family property in India. NRI's settled abroad cannot defend themselves as they are far away and unable to spend time and money to fight off local relatives who take advantage of their absence. I doubt if you have done anything wrong, Sometimes notices sent out are not even genuine and used as a scare tactic. The only way to confirm this is to contact the authorities directly. Some of the options you could consider are: 1. Go to India to sort this out or get some trust worthy person in India to help. 2. Hire a lawyer in India to deal with this. 3. Simply give in to the demands of your brother and give up the property