HC suggests mediation as Kalyani siblings battle over family wealth

Mumbai: In a bid to bring a two-decade-old family dispute closer to resolution, the Bombay High Court on Friday suggested that warring siblings Babasaheb Kalyani, Sugandha Hiremath and Gaurishankar Kalyani should consider mediation not just for the immediate case but for all relevant claims arising out of the Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) matter.

The three siblings and their children have been engaged in bitter legal battles on many fronts for several years. At stake is ancestral wealth, with land spanning entire villages, jewelery weighing kilograms and promoter stakes in listed companies, including flagship Bharat Forge Ltd. Put together, the assets are worth more than 200,000 ₹1 trillion.

Shares of Bharat Forge fell 0.7 percent ₹1,724.50 per capita on BSE on Friday.

Justice Rajesh Patil made the suggestion while hearing an interim application challenging the maintainability of a case filed by Sugandha Hiremath to enforce a 1994 family settlement agreement.

Lawyers of Baba Kalyani and Gaurishankar Kalyani sought time to take instructions from their clients regarding the mediation process. Hiremath’s lawyer stated that they were willing to resolve the dispute through mediation.

If the parties agree, this will be the second mediation attempt in which the family tried this route in 2024 but failed to reach an agreement.

When contacted, Sugandha Hiremath’s spokesperson said she was willing to attempt mediation.

“I have always believed that family matters are best resolved within the family, and it was very sad for me to see our private problems revealed so publicly,” Hiremath said in a statement. Mint through its spokesperson.

“This is not just a legal dispute for me, it carries a significant emotional toll, as it does for everyone in such situations. I have continually hoped that we would all come together as siblings and find an amicable solution, which I truly believe is something our parents would want rather than a protracted public fight,” he said.

Baba Kalyani’s spokesperson did not immediately respond on the matter Mint‘s request for comment. Gaurishankar Kalyani could not immediately be reached for comment.

This isn’t the only ongoing legal dispute between the brothers. They also have concurrent cases pending in the Pune civil court. In September 2024, Hiremath filed a petition in the Pune Civil Court alleging the existence of a Kalyani Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) that financed the formation of all the group’s businesses that exist today, including the group’s flagship company, Bharat Forge. He argued that since the start-up capital came from this HUF, all the present-day assets of the Kalyani Group belong to him and he claims one-third of them.

Gaurishankar Kalyani also filed documents in the Pune court in November 2024 alleging the existence of a Kalyani HUF, which contradicts the claims of his elder brother Baba Kalyani.

Meanwhile, in March 2024, Hiremath’s children approached the court against their mother and uncle, demanding one-ninth of the Kalyani family’s assets.