Captain Krishna Dev Kaushal, with a 28-year stint in the Royal British Navy, Indian Navy and finally in the merchant navy, wanted to spend his retirement in serene Dharmasala with his wife, Sushma.It was with this intention that he bought a two-acre estate in Dharamsala, aptly called 'The Retreat', way back in 1962.
But some dreams never come true.
Captain Kaushal received the shock of his life on a trip to Dharamsala after his retirement when he discovered that his property had been sold off to the Council for Tibetan Education.
The Kaushal family alleges they were deprived of their property by the Council, which is headed by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama.
"My husband was shell-shocked initially, then he gathered himself and conveyed the message to us," says 74-year-old Sushma Kaushal, seen here with a photograph of her late husband.
Captain Kaushal, after gathering all the relevant documents, then filed a suit against the Council in the Shimla high court in 1995. But the court ruled in the Council's favour.
"They (the Council) produced locals who testified before the court that my parents were present when the sale was made and knew of the transaction," says Rajesh Kaushal, the captain's son. "They were actually away on a sailing trip. We have official communiques made from the ship, which was owned by the Shipping Corporation of India, to prove this. Since we were from Mumbai and not acquainted with the locals all we had was documents. The Council used their influence and produced a number of witnesses against us."
Reportage and photographs: Binoy Valsan
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