Explained: How a 30-year feud over Faridkot maharaja’s Rs 20,000-crore properties ended

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ended a 30-year fight over the properties of a Faridkot maharaja worth Rs 20,000 crore. The apex court did so by ruling in favour of the daughters of Sir Harinder Singh Brar, the last ruler of the erstwhile princely state of Faridkot and ordering that the Maharawal Khewaji Trust, which had been managing the properties, be dissolved. The Supreme Court ruling has once again shone a spotlight on the case. Let’s take a closer look: Who was Sir Harinder Singh Brar? As per the _Krishi Vigyan Faridkot w_ebsite, Raja Sir Harindar Singh Brar Bans Bahadur, was the last ruler of Faridkot. The website describes him as a boy-king who came up as India’s royal families took their last gasps.

When he took the throne on his father’s death, he was only three years old.

The Council of Administration managed the kingdom till Brar came of age. He was invested with power on 17 October, 1934. As per Indian Express, the maharaja, who was born in 1915, studied at Lahore’s Atkinson College and was an outstanding student. He faced the Praja Mandal Movement in 1938, seeking the establishment of a responsible government. In 1948, the States Ministry of Independent India compounded the State of Faridkot along with Patiala, Nabha, Malerkotla and Kapurthala to form PEPSU (Patiala and East Punjab States Union), as per the report. As per Indian Express, the maharaja was known to be passionate about aircraft, motorbikes and expensive cars. He owned four aircraft, including a Gemini M65, which are in the hangar of the Faridkot Palace. [caption id=“attachment_11220851” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The Faridkot royal palace. News18 Punjab[/caption] Among his fleet of 18 cars are a Rolls Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, Daimler and Packard. While hundreds of royal families fell by the wayside after India’s independence, this was not the case for all. “A few, like Brar, held onto their enormously profitable real estate and continued to live a rarefied life Brar, meanwhile, married Narinder Kaur. They had three daughters – Amrit Kaur, Deepinder Kaur and Maheepinder Kaur – and one son Tikka Harmohinder Singh. Their son died in a road accident in 1981.

In his old age, Brar fell into a deep depression after the death of his son and then passed away.

Which is when the trouble began. What’s the dispute? The matter revolved around Brar’s will and the maharaja’s famed riches. As per Hindustan Times, the erstwhile royal family has movable and immovable assets in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, and Chandigarh. These include Rajmahal in Faridkot spread over 14 acres. A 150-bed charitable hospital has come up on a portion of the palace ground. The other properties include Faridkot’s Qila Mubarak spread over 10 acres and New Delhi’s Faridkot House located on prime land on the Copernicus Marg. [caption id=“attachment_11221011” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Faridkot House was valued at Rs 1,200 crore nine years ago. PTI[/caption] The Central government has leased out the property on a monthly rent of ₹17.50 lakh. It was valued at ₹1,200 crore nine years ago. As per Indian Express, the will, executed in 1982, left the properties to the trust. His daughters Deepinder Kaur and Maheepinder were, among others, named trustees, while his eldest daughter Amrit Kaur was excluded. This was because the maharaja was reportedly upset with Amrit for having married an IPS officer against his wishes. Amrit had reconciled with her father at the time of his death in 1989 and was by his side when he passed away.

However, Amrit challenged the will in court in 1991.

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As per The Print, Amrit claimed her father could not have legally bequeathed his properties to the trust since the family was governed by Hindu Joint Family law. She also disputed the will’s authenticity. [caption id=“attachment_11220981” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Amrit Kaur, the daughter of the late Maharaja of Faridkot- Harinder Singh Brar, poses with a portrait of the Maharaja at her residence in Chandigarh. AFP[/caption] That sparked a 30-year battle in the courts. What have courts said? As per Hindustan Times, in 2013, the Chandigarh district court declared the will illegal and void and granted inheritance to Brar’s surviving daughters. By now, Maheepinder Kaur had passed away in Shimla in 2001. In June 2020, the Punjab & Haryana High Court upheld the order awarding a majority share in the ₹20,000-crore property to Amrit and Deepinder Kaur. [caption id=“attachment_11220881” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The Punjab & Haryana High Court in its ruling called the will forged, fictitious, fabricated, and shrouded with suspicious circumstances. Image courtesy: News18[/caption] The court said descendants of Manjit Inder Singh, the maharaja’s brother, would get their mother Mohinder Kaur’s share, as per Hindustan Times.

The court added that the trustees conspired to create the will to take over the property.

“The will is proved to be forged, fictitious, fabricated, and shrouded with suspicious circumstances,” the court said. The matter then went to the Supreme Court after the trust challenged the order. In 2021, the apex court ordered that the trust may continue as a caretaker and ‘status quo’ be maintained, as per The Print. Citing the Raja Faridkot Estate Act, 1948, petitioners invoked the “Rule of Primogeniture” in the Supreme Court to argue that the properties left behind by the maharaja must be inherited by his male successor, his brother Kunwar Manjit Inder Singh, followed by his son, Bharat Inder Singh. [caption id=“attachment_10962601” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The Supreme Court of India. upheld the ruling of the lower court. ANI[/caption] On Wednesday, a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) UU Lalit upheld the Punjab & Haryana High Court order. “In view of the specific finding rendered by the courts below, including the high court, in our view, no case was made out for the applicability of Rule of Primogeniture and succession based on said Rule,” the Supreme Court said in its verdict Wednesday, as per The Print. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.