Trust to challenge court order on Faridkot Maharaja's will

The Trust which manages the Rs 20,000-crore worth properties of erstwhile Maharaja of Faridkot Harinder Singh Brar is likely challenge the order of a Chandigarh court declaring his will as forged.
The Chandigarh district court had on Thursday declared the will, which had entitled Maharawal Khewaji Trust as the caretaker of the properties, as illegal and void and granted inheritance to Brar's two daughters--Amrit Kaur, who had challenged the will in 1992, and Deepinder Kaur.
The Trust's counsel today contended that the will was "real" and they were planning to challenge the court verdict.
The former ruler had properties worth around Rs 20,000 crore, including 300 acres of land, an aerodrome in Faridkot, three planes, two forts, Raj Mahal complex in Faridkot, Faridkot House on New Delhi's Copernicus Marg, Manimajra fort in Chandigarh, vintage cars including a Roll Royce, gold, diamonds and around two dozen buildings across the nation and a museum.

Trust Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lalit Mohan Gupta said that he was waiting for the order and will take the next step after studying it.
Counsel for the Trust Ranjit Singh said that the will was "real" and the Trust is likely to challenge it in higher court.

Meanwhile, Chandigarh's Manimajra fort caretaker Gurdev Singh (75), who is one of the trustee, said that they will challenge the court order.
"When the will was signed, the Maharaja was in a sound mental state and there was no pressure on him to sign the will. Besides, he was an intelligent man," he said.

However, Amrit Kaur's daughter Gurveen Kaur (45) said that they are prepared to fight the case in the higher court as well.
"We don't know how much property we have in the entire country.... The caretakers never allowed my mother to enter the fort at Faridkot....I have full faith in the Indian judicial system," she said.
The court order came after a two-decade-long legal battle by Amrit Kaur who had alleged that her father had never made any will and it was forged only to usurp the wealth.
The trust was raised in 1986. The will, which was allegedly prepared in 1982, came to light after the death of the Maharaja in 1989.