Delhi HC rejects Natasha Oberoi’s plea to arbitrate family feud over PRS Oberoi estate

The Delhi high court has rejected the plea of ​​Natasha Oberoi, daughter of late hotelier PRS Oberoi, to send her dispute with her family members over her father’s estate to arbitration.

Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, in his judgment published on Friday, January 15, ruled that disputes regarding wills, inheritance and family inheritance cannot be decided by private arbitrators and must be resolved by civil courts.

The court also noted that Natasha, managing director of Oberoi Hotels Pvt. Ltd, but not a shareholder, cannot rely on the arbitration clause in the Articles of Association of the company.

The case stems from a deepening rift in the Oberoi family following the death of PRS Oberoi, popularly known as “Biki” Oberoi, in November 2023.

He was the former chairman of ElH Ltd and the patriarch of Oberoi Group, one of India’s leading luxury hospitality chains, and had significant shareholding and shares in ElH Ltd, Oberoi Hotels Pvt. Ltd and Oberoi Properties.

Two Wills

At the center of the dispute are two sets of wills. One side is led by Anastasia Mirjana Jojic Oberoi, PRS Oberoi’s daughter from her second marriage.

It is based on a will dated October 25, 2021, as well as a supplementary will dated August 27, 2022, which he says is his father’s last will.

According to him, these documents make him and some of his family trusts the main beneficiaries of the property, including valuable shares in Oberoi group companies.

On the other side are Vikramjit Singh Oberoi, managing director and managing director of EIH Ltd, his sister Natasha Oberoi and their cousin Arjun Singh Oberoi, chairman of EIH. They are contesting the 2021 Will and instead relying on an earlier Will dated 20 March 1992.

Vikramjit argued that the shares in Oberoi Hotels and Oberoi Properties were held in trust by his father to him and his cousin Arjun and should pass to them on his father’s death and therefore should not form part of the inherited property which Anastasia later claimed.

However, Natasha’s request for arbitration was filed on June 6, 2025 with Oberoi Hotels Pvt. It came following the board of directors’ decision taken by. Ltd. This decision empowered one person named Tejaswi Dixit to handle all legal matters related to PRS Oberoi’s properties, including filing and defending lawsuits.

Natasha alleged that Dixit was a “stranger” to the company and was wrongly empowered by Vikramjit and Arjun, bypassing proper board procedures.

He claimed the move was aimed at gaining control of the case over the estate and sidelining other family members.

Based on this, Natasha argued that the dispute was in fact about company management and internal control and should therefore be referred to arbitration under existing corporate agreements.

However, the court disagreed. It was stated that the real issue is not corporate governance but who has the right to inherit PRS Oberoi’s assets and which will is valid. The court held that such matters involve personal law and public interest and should be decided by civil courts and not by special arbitral tribunals.

The court also cited an earlier order obtained in September 2024 in a case filed by Anastasia, restricting the transfer of shares held by PRS Oberoi in EIH Ltd, Oberoi Hotels and Oberoi Properties, thus ensuring the preservation of the property until the inheritance dispute is finally resolved.