diff --git a/WHATSNEW b/WHATSNEW
index 6348841c6..54f53a0f5 100644
--- a/WHATSNEW
+++ b/WHATSNEW
@@ -86,6 +86,10 @@ Fixed bugs:
  * <jar filesetmanifest="merge"> was broken on Windows.
    Bugzilla Report 49090
 
+ * <symlink> delete failed if the link attribute was a relative path
+   to a link inside the current directory without a leading ".".
+   Bugzilla Report 49137
+
 Other changes:
 --------------
 
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/optional/unix/Symlink.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/optional/unix/Symlink.java
index a01f3762c..0ae517d41 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/optional/unix/Symlink.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/optional/unix/Symlink.java
@@ -184,7 +184,9 @@ public class Symlink extends DispatchTask {
                 return;
             }
             log("Removing symlink: " + link);
-            SYMLINK_UTILS.deleteSymbolicLink(new File(link), this);
+            SYMLINK_UTILS.deleteSymbolicLink(FILE_UTILS
+                                             .resolveFile(new File("."), link),
+                                             this);
         } catch (FileNotFoundException fnfe) {
             handleError(fnfe.toString());
         } catch (IOException ioe) {
diff --git a/src/tests/antunit/taskdefs/optional/unix/symlink-test.xml b/src/tests/antunit/taskdefs/optional/unix/symlink-test.xml
index b4986891f..1859db62a 100644
--- a/src/tests/antunit/taskdefs/optional/unix/symlink-test.xml
+++ b/src/tests/antunit/taskdefs/optional/unix/symlink-test.xml
@@ -92,4 +92,18 @@
     <au:assertFileDoesntExist file="${output}/link"/>
   </target>
 
+  <target name="testDeleteLinkInSameDirAsBuildFile" depends="setUp" if="isUnix"
+          description="https://issues.apache.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=49137">
+    <mkdir dir="${output}/Templates"/>
+    <mkdir dir="${output}/project1"/>
+    <symlink action="single" link="${output}/project1/Templates"
+             resource="../Templates"/>
+    <echo file="${output}/project1/build.xml"><![CDATA[
+<project name="project1" default="build" basedir=".">
+    <target name="build">
+        <symlink action="delete" link="Templates"/>
+    </target>
+</project>]]></echo>
+    <ant antfile="${output}/project1/build.xml"/>
+  </target>
 </project>