The Bombay High Court said it would frame issues on April 7 on the plea made by Shiv Sena president Udhav Thackeray seeking probate of the will of his late father Bal Thackeray, and also on the application filed by his brother Jaidev, opposing the probate.
A probate petition is filed to get the will of a deceased person certified by the court. The matter came up before Justice RD Dhanuka, who granted time to both the sides for filing additional documents.
The legal dispute between the brothers is over the distribution of family property which includes bank deposits and Thackeray’s bungalow ‘Matoshri’ in Bandra.
Uddhav, anointed as the party’s Executive President by his father in his lifetime, moved the Bombay High Court to probate Bal Thackeray’s will this month. The Sena patriarch died on November 17, 2012.
But the probate petition of Uddhav has been now converted into ‘a testamentary suit’ as Jaidev, who has not been left any share in the property by the will, has opposed it. Bal Thackeray’s estate, as per the will, includes property and bank deposits, collectively worth Rs. 14.85 crore.
Jaidev, the estranged son of Thackeray, has contested the will, saying that the property is worth much more, and the bungalow itself is worth Rs. 40 crore.
Under the will, Bal Thackeray has given the first floor of the bungalow to his grandson Aishvarya, the son of Jaidev and his divorced wife Smita. The second floor has been bequeathed to Uddhav and his sons Aditya and Tejas. The ground and third floors have been given to Uddhav.
But it gives no share to Jaidev and Madhavi, the widow of Thackeray’s eldest son Bindumadhav who died in a road accident some years ago. Madhavi has not contested the will.
Former Sena MP and senior advocate Adhik Shirodkar, lawyer Anil Parab, architect Shashi Prabhu and Ravindra Mhatre, former personal assistant to the late Sena supremo, have been named executors of the will. Dr. Jalil Parkar, his personal physician, is the witness in whose presence Thackeray signed the will.
