Special Correspondent
Pune: The ongoing legal battle over the Kalyani family’s property took a significant turn as the Pune Civil Court ruled to convert the probate applications for two conflicting wills of Sulochana Kalyani, the late wife of industrialist Dr. Neelkanth Kalyani, into civil cases.
Sugandha Hiremath, the sister of Baba Kalyani (Chairman of Bharat Forge) and his brother Gaurishankar Kalyani, has contested the validity of both wills in the court. In light of this, Senior Civil Judge A.S. Alevar decided that the probate applications should be treated as civil cases and heard based on merit. The court also emphasized that the matter should be resolved accordingly.
Sulochana Kalyani, who passed away in February 2023, is at the center of the dispute. Madan Umakant Takle and Shrikant Kiran Adivarekar have filed for the probate of a will dated January 2012, which allocates all of Sulochana’s property to Baba Kalyani. In contrast, a separate will, dated December 2022, has been presented by Viraj Kalyani (son of Gaurishankar Kalyani), in which a significant portion of the estate is bequeathed to Gaurishankar’s family. Sugandha Hiremath has raised concerns regarding the authenticity of both wills, alleging that they were forged by the two brothers to benefit themselves.
In addition, Hiremath has called for the appointment of an administrator to oversee the management of the Kalyani family’s estate. However, Baba Kalyani’s representatives have denied these allegations, labeling them as unfounded. They also noted that the conversion of the probate proceedings into civil cases is simply a procedural requirement under the Indian Succession Act. The will from 2022 has already been formally challenged in Pune’s court.
