Thackeray kin inheritance battle ends, Jaidev withdraws case against Uddhav

Jaidev Thackeray, the estranged elder son of late Shiv Sena patriarch Bal Thackeray, abruptly withdrew an inheritance suit challenging his father's will bequeathing most of his property to the youngest son Uddhav, here on Friday.

After a nearly six-year long and bitter legal battle, Jaidev submitted an affidavit in the Bombay High Court saying he wanted to withdraw his suit opposing the probate of the will made by the late Thackeray in favour of Uddhav and four other family members. No reasons were assigned for the move.

Justice Gautam Patel, who was hearing the sensitive matter in-camera in view of the serious allegations levelled by Jaidev, accepted his affidavit and ordered the High Court to issue the probate of the will in favour of Uddhav Thackeray and four other beneficiaries, as mentioned, by November 26.

In his will dated December 13, 2011, Bal Thackeray did not leave anything to Jaidev, but left almost everything to his younger son Uddhav, who is now the party chief, and four other family members.

Even the family of the oldest son, Bindumadhav, the producer of the superhit musical Hindi film "Agnisakshi" (1996), who died in a road accident in 1996, got nothing from the Shiv Sena founder.

After Thackeray's death on November 17, 2012, Jaidev had posed a legal challenge to the will, among other things, claiming his late father was of "unsound mind" and his brother (Uddhav) had influenced him to take his signatures forcibly on the will.

In the will, the late Thackeray passed on a majority of his belongings to Uddhav, including the famed three-storey family bungalow, 'Matoshri' in Bandra east.

However, the first floor of that bungalow was willed to his grandson, Aishvarya, the younger son of Jaidev and his former wife, Bollywood producer Smita Thackeray.

Jaidev had earlier informed the court that he shifted out of 'Matoshri' in 1999 due to growing differences with his wife whom he divorced in 2004.

--IANS

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