Madras HC Orders Decision On Boney Kapoor Plea Over Sridevi Property
Justice N. Anand Venkatesh passed the order on Kapoor’s plea, in which he claimed that the three individuals had been unlawfully asserting rights over an immovable property purchased by his wife, the late actor A. Sridevi.
Chennai: The Madras High Court on Monday directed the Tambaram tahsildar to decide within four weeks on apetitionpetition filed by film producer Boney Kapoor seeking cancellation of a legal heirship certificate issued in favour of three individuals, which he alleged was fraudulent.
Justice N. Anand Venkatesh passed the order on Kapoor’s plea, in which he claimed that the three individuals had been unlawfully asserting rights over an immovable property purchased by his wife, the late actor A. Sridevi.
According to the petitioner, the disputed land, located on East Coast Road (ECR), was purchased by Sridevi on April 19, 1988. Kapoor sought cancellation of the legal heirship certificate, calling it “fraudulent.”
He stated that Sridevi lawfully purchased the property in 1988 and that she and her family had been in full possession and enjoyment of the land, which has been used as a farmhouse. The property originally belonged to M.C. Sambanda Mudaliar, who had three sons and two daughters.
The Mudaliar family had entered into a mutual arrangement in 1960 to divide the property among themselves, and based on this arrangement, Sridevi purchased the land through a registered sale deed. Mr. Kapoor said that years later, three individuals suddenly began claiming ownership rights.
These individuals alleged they were the second wife and two children of one of Sambanda Mudaliar’s sons. In 2005, they obtained a legal heirship certificate from the Tambaram tahsildar to bolster their claims. Mr. Kapoor argued that the tahsildar lacked jurisdiction to issue such a certificate since the original landowner had resided in Mylapore.
He further contended that the second marriage was not legally valid and therefore the three claimants could not be considered Class-I or Class-II legal heirs under the Hindu Succession Act.
After hearing arguments, Justice Venkatesh directed the Tambaram tahsildar to take a clear decision within four weeks on the producer’s complaint.
