Court stays decision to nix ex-MP’s suit, orders status quo

A sessions court in Bhiwani, on Monday, stayed a lower court decision of Saturday to dismiss the property suit that former Bhiwani MP Shruti Choudhry has filed for her grandfather and former Haryana chief minister Bansi Lal’s will.

In her suit filed in 2006, Shruti, the daughter of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Kiran Choudhry, had challenged Lal’s registered will dated July 19, 2005, in favour of his wife Vidya Devi.

She had presented an unregistered will dated June 6, 2004, and claimed it was the joint will of Lal and her father late Surender Singh (Lal’s son), according to which she was the owner of all their property.

According to the registered will of Lal, his wife Vidya was to be the owner of all his property. He had also willed that Vidya or her legal heirs were free to make a trust and use the property for public utility.

After Lal’s death in March, 2006, Vidya formed a trust in his name in which she included those family members she wished, as trustees. She donated Lal’s kothi in Bhiwani and all other properties to the trust.

Vidya had challenged Shruti’s suit and filed a counter-claim informing the court that the trust was in possession of Lal’s property. After she passed away in 2009, her daughter-in-law Nirmal Kanta succeeded her as the chairperson of the trust.

On Saturday, a lower court dismissed Shruti’s suit and allowed the counter claim filed by Vidya Devi being pursued by her son, Ranbir Singh Mahindra.

However, on Monday, the sessions court stayed the orders of the lower court and ordered both parties to maintain status quo in the matter, that was prevalent till the Saturday’s order.

The court fixed December 8 as the next case of the hearing. Reacting to the court order, Shruti said Mahindra wanted to illegally occupy her grandfather and father’s property and she would fight for her right.

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