UK court changes 'patriarchal' will of Indian origin man; directs 50% of £1 million fortune to wife, daughters

London: An Indian origin woman managed to claim 50% of her dead husband’s £1 million worth of inheritance after challenging his will in which he had left everything to his two sons, completely ignoring the four daughters, in a high court. After signing his will in 2005, Karnail Singh, who passed away in 2021, “wished to leave his estate purely along the male line,” according to reports. The court was told that Harbans Kaur, who wed Singh in 1955, thought the estate was worth £1.9 million gross, but one of her sons believed it to be worth £1.2 million. The judge Peel decided Kaur, 83, should receive 50% of the estate’s net worth after learning the family had operated a garment business. He claimed that it was obvious that Kaur, whose income consisted of state payments worth roughly £12,000, had not been given “adequate provision.” According to evidence, Kaur had a “full involvement” in the marriage and worked in the family clothing company, according to the judge, who presided over the case at the high court’s family division in London. The inheritance was divided equally between two of the children—the sons of the claimant and the deceased—by the will dated 25 June 2005, the judge ruled in his decision. The deceased wanted to leave his assets exclusively along the male line, which is why the will was written in this way, omitting the claimant and the other four siblings. “I believe that this is the most obvious situation that allows me to infer that reasonable accommodation has not been made for the claimant,” he continued. It is difficult to imagine how any other conclusion could be drawn. “She is left with almost little after a marriage of 66 years, to which she provided a full and equal contribution and during which all the assets accrued.” She should “get 50% of the net estate value,” he declared. The decision, according to Heledd Wyn, a partner at the law firm Shakespeare Martineau, should serve as a caution. According to the attorney, this ruling shows that persons cannot be outright excluded from wills, especially spouses who have made considerable contributions over a long period of time. “The court has made its ruling in the interest of fairness and has been extremely explicit on this issue.” Read all the Latest News, Trending News,  Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.