HC prevents Shandar's legal heirs from selling property

The Bombay High Court today forbade Shandar Amrohi's legal heirs from selling or creating third party rights of their properties and sought details about the bank accounts held by Shandar, the elder son of late filmmaker Kamal Amrohi.
Justice S J Kathawalla has directed the legal heirs of Shandar and his widow Shaheeda Amrohi to file their affidavits in reply to the suit filed by actress Preity Zinta seeking recovery of the Rs two crore she had supposedly lent to Shandar Amrohi to fight his legal battles and other purposes.
She filed a suit in the High Court last month seeking to recover a principal amount of Rs two crore and interest of Rs 80 lakh - calculated at an annual rate of 18 per cent from the day after Shandar died on August 22, 2011.

Zinta's counsel Sharam Jagtiani and Stuti Jain of ALMT Legal today sought an interim direction to the family members of Shandar not to sell any properties pending a hearing of the suit.
The advocate, appearing for Shaheeda Amrohi, agreed the family would not sell or create third party rights of the properties.
Justice Kathawalla, while directing Shandar's widow and his legal heirs to file their affidavits by January 6, also sought details of the bank accounts held by Shandar.

The matter will be heard on January 20.
Zinta's suit said she did not give the money to Shandar by way of charity but had done so on the assurance it would be returned once he grew financially stable.

"The plaintiff (Zinta) states that these were debts of Shandar discharged by the plaintiff and not an act intended to be done gratuitously but on assurance that these amounts would be repaid by Amrohi," the suit said.
According to the suit, Shandar was constantly at odds with his brother Tajdaar, sister Rukhsar and their families over property. Amrohi, the suit claimed, then approached Zinta, seeking help to recover his property in shares and she obliged.
It claimed a few months after Amrohi's death, Zinta orally requested the family to pay her dues but no one paid any heed. She then sent a legal notice earlier this month but not having received any response, approached HC.