High Court Suggests Mediation in Dispute Between Kalyani Siblings Over Family Estate

Bombay High Court Suggests Mediation in Kalyani Family Dispute

The Bombay High Court has suggested mediation between Babasaheb Kalyani, Sugandha Hiremath, and Gaurishankar Kalyani to resolve their long-standing family dispute. The three siblings and their children have been engaged in bitter legal battles for years, with assets worth over ₹1 trillion at stake. The dispute involves ancestral wealth, including land, jewellery, and promoter stakes in listed companies, including Bharat Forge Ltd.

Bharat Forge shares settled 0.7% lower at ₹1,724.50 apiece on the BSE on Friday. The court's suggestion comes while hearing an interim application challenging the maintainability of a suit filed by Sugandha Hiremath to enforce a 1994 family settlement agreement. The parties have previously attempted mediation in 2024, but failed to reach an agreement.

If the parties agree to mediation, it would be a second attempt to resolve the dispute through this route. Sugandha Hiremath has expressed her willingness to attempt mediation, stating that family matters are best resolved within the family. Babasaheb Kalyani and Gaurishankar Kalyani's counsels have sought time to seek instructions from their clients on the mediation process.

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The Kalyani family's disputes are ongoing, with concurrent cases before a Pune civil court. Sugandha Hiremath has filed a petition claiming a third of the Kalyani Group's assets, while Gaurishankar Kalyani has submitted documents to claim that a Kalyani HUF exists. In March 2024, Hiremath's children moved court against their mother and uncles seeking one-ninth of the Kalyani family's assets.