MUMBAI: In a fresh turn of events in the Kalyani family dispute, Sugandha Hiremath – Hikal director and sister of Bharat Forge chairman Baba Kalyani – has disputed the legitimacy of her late mother’s wills, which primarily benefits her two brothers Baba Kalyani and Gaurishankar Kalyani.
Their mother had made two distinct wills before her death in Feb 2023. The first, in Jan 2012, primarily benefits Baba (75) while the second, in Dec 2022, names Gaurishankar (69) as the beneficiary.
Sugandha (72) challenged both wills’ validity at the Pune civil court last week, claiming her brothers obtained them through coercion and undue influence. The contested assets encompasses shares in Kalyani Group companies such as Bharat Forge and Kalyani Forge, alongside precious jewellery made of gold and diamonds, fixed deposits, and various immovable properties across Maharashtra. This includes family home Parvati Niwas in Pune and land parcels in hill stations of Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar.
She has raised objections after her brothers initiated separate probate proceedings in the Pune civil court. In her affidavits opposing both probate applications, Sugandha highlighted that her brothers have presented wills that are “diametrically opposite and contrary to one another”. She asserts that these wills were secured to usurp the Kalyani joint family estate when their mother was under the respective care of each brother.
During the signing of the first will in 2012, their mother Sulochana Kalyani had difficult relations with Gaurishankar and depended significantly on Baba for financial and emotional support. When the second will was signed in 2022, she was under Gaurishankar’s care.
Sugandha maintains that both wills lack validity and genuineness and hence the estate should be distributed to the heirs by way of intestate succession, granting her a one-third share. She contests the inclusion of certain properties in both wills, stating they belong to Kalyani joint family assets established by her father and grandfather, which legally cannot be bequeathed through a will.
Sugandha claimed that during the signing of the first will, her father was unwell and had a troubled relationship with Gaurishankar. Baba took advantage of these circumstances to obtain their mother’s signature on the will. Regarding the second will, Gaurishankar compelled their mother to sign while she was mentally vulnerable.