Shabana Azmi's father Kaifi Azmi owned a house in Mijwan, Azamgarh, but the family was locked in a legal battle with squatters. The house has been given back to the

Among celebrities embroiled in property disputes, Shabana Azmi's must be the longest. Her poet father Kaifi Azmi owned a house in Mijwan, Azamgarh, but the Azmi family was locked in a legal battle with squatters. It was Kaifi's wish to get his house back, but that didn't come true in his lifetime. But his daughter, Shabana kept up the fight and last week, she finally managed to win the case. The house has been given back to the Azmi family.

Shabana says, `My father was not the kind to get into any conflict with anyone. He was such a peace-lover that he was not even willing testify against people who had illegally occupied the house.

He was worried that it would hurt his own people. His decency was taken advantage of. However, I am happy that after 38 years of struggle, I can finally claim my father's house as ours. I can't tell you how happy that makes me feel. We had an out-of-court settlement to get the house back,` she says.

She adds the entire village of Mijwan participated in the celebration after they took the possession of the house. `I hope my father's soul is at peace now.`