Virginia Court Orders Encroachment Removal From Land Linked To Mahatma Gandhi’s Grandson

A Virginia court has told a local resident to clear encroachments from 30 acres tied to Kanu Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s late grandson, allowing the trust that owns the property to take possession. The parcel sits next to Shenandoah National Park in Warren County, Virginia.

The land is held by the Dr Schiva and Kanu Ramdas Mohandas Gandhi Charitable Trust. Gregory Black, a US national, had staked a claim to it.

The dispute concerns land linked to Kanu Gandhi, who died in 2016 and was known not only as Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson but also for his work in the US aerospace and defence sector. The ruling also addresses Black’s attempt to secure ownership through a long-occupation claim.

Trust Ownership History

Kanu Gandhi graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He later worked on aircraft design for NASA and the United States Department of Defense.

He died in November 2016 at 87. He had moved back to India two years earlier, as per reports.

Parimal Desai, a Surat resident and Managing Trustee of the Dr Schiva and Kanu Ramdas Mohandas Gandhi Charitable Trust, said Kanu Gandhi’s assets, including the Virginia land, passed to his wife Shiva Gandhi after his death. After Shiva Gandhi died in 2020, the trust she established in 2020 inherited the couple’s properties. The couple did not have any children.

Adverse Possession Claim

The dispute surfaced in 2025. Desai told The Times of India, that he learnt of the encroachment after Black sent a legal notice and claimed ownership "by way of adverse possession."

Under Virginia’s adverse possession rules, a person can claim ownership if the property has been occupied without interruption for 15 years. The claimant must also prove the occupation was visible and obvious enough that a reasonably attentive property owner would notice it.

Desai visited the US property in 2024 and got a survey done before challenging Black’s claim in court. Black argued that he had occupied the land since 2008, but he could not prove his case in court.

Court Orders Black

The ruling came on October 21. Judge Daryl L. Funk of the Warren County Circuit Court ruled in favour of Desai and the charitable trust.

The court told Black to remove a cabin, hunting stands, hunting huts and his personal belongings from the property within 30 days, at his own expense. He must also hand over possession of the land. In addition, the court directed him to pay $11,375 towards the fees of the Guardian ad Litem appointed to represent unknown heirs.