Maharaja’s daughters win assets worth Rs 20,000 cr Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 27 After a legal battle that went on for 21 years in court, the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate has ruled in favour of the daughters of Late Maharaja of Faridkot, Raja Sir Harinder Singh Brar. She had moved court in 1992, alleging that the will, which entitled a trust as its caretaker, was forged. The daughters of the late Maharaja will now inherit his huge property, following the court orders. Chief Judicial Magistrate Rajnish Kumar Sharma has given verdict in favour of Harinder Brar’s eldest daughter, Amrit Kaur who had challenged the will. The court ruled that the will was “forged and fabricated” making Amrit Kaur and her sister, Deepinder Kaur, heir to estate and assets worth Rs 20,000 crore by the Hindu Succession Act. The court declared that will forged on July 1, 1982 was illegal and void following which ‘Meharwal Khewaji Trust’ has also become illegal. When the will was forged, Brar was in depression because of his son Tikka Harmohinder Singh Brar’s untimely death. As per the case, on June 1, 1982, the servants in connivance with certain crooked people and help of lawyers, executed the will, while the Maharaja’s family, including his wife and mother (alive then), were kept in the dark. The will was executed eight months after Tikka Harmohinder’s death. Thereafter, a trust was formed and all the servants of the Maharaja and his lawyers, including some others were made trustees. The eldest daughter Amrit Kaur was divested of all the powers of heiress, citing the reason that she had married against the wishes of the late Maharaja. The younger daughter Deepinder Kaur, was appointed trust chairman on a paltry salary of Rs 1,200 per month while Maheepinder Kaur was given a salary of Rs 1,000 a month. When the will came to light in 1989 after the death of the erstwhile ruler, Amrit Kaur filed a suit, challenging the will in 1992, and stated that her father had never made any such will and she was with her father till his death. The suspicion against the will aroused as Maharaja excluded his mother Mohinder Kaur and his wife Narinder Kaur while all the employees, irrespective of their designation or class were appointed trustees. Of the Maharaja’s three daughters, Amrit Kaur resides in Sector 10, Chandigarh; Deepinder Kaur is in Kolkata while Maheepinder Kaur died in 2000 in Shimla under mysterious circumstances. The properties The estate of Raja Sahib is worth several thousand crore rupees and includes prime properties such as Faridkot House at Copernicus Marg, New Delhi; Site No.1, Nyay Marg, New Delhi; Faridkot Palace, Faridkot, land in Faridkot district, Manimajra Fort, Properties at Hyderabad, Mashobra, Shimla and other parts of North India, including Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab. Raja Sahib had declared his properties and submitted a list, which was accepted by the Central Government.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Jul 2013 00:16:07 +0000