HC refers Sippy family property dispute for mediation

The Bombay high court referred the property dispute between Ramesh Sippy and his deceased brother Suresh Sippy’s family for mediation

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Monday referred the property dispute between Ramesh Sippy, director of the iconic film Sholay, and his deceased brother Suresh Sippy’s family for mediation. Retired justice SJ Kathawalla will preside over the mediation, to be held on Friday, and try to settle the dispute peacefully, failing which the court will step in again, the division bench of justices BP Colabawalla and Firdosh P Pooniwalla said.

Ramesh Sippy's Sholay is one of the most successful Indian films ever made.

The dispute revolves around two sprawling flats (5A and 5B) in Shree Vijaya Bhavan on Altamount Road that were part of his deceased father and renowned film producer GP Sippy’s estate. In a plea filed in the high court in 2023, Ramesh Sippy claimed that while he and legal heirs of his four siblings were each entitled to one-fifth of the shares of their father’s estate, Suresh Sippy’s family had taken over the flats “illegally”.

The producer-director claimed that his father GP Sippy had drawn up a will and bequeathed the entire estate to their mother Mohini Sippy before his death in December 2007; and Mohini Sippy had subsequently bequeathed the estate to his deceased brother Suresh Sippy via a will before her death in June 2010.

He further claimed that Suresh Sippy had in December 2016 executed an affidavit relinquishing all rights devolved on him through their mother’s will, and the properties needed to be distributed equally amongst all five siblings or their legal heirs.

In an interim plea filed subsequently, he urged the court to appoint a receiver for flat number 5A, claiming two of his nephews were illegally and exclusively occupying it and had shown their intention to deny him his share. The dispute reportedly arose because his nephews wanted to sell the flat.

In April 2024, the court dismissed his interim plea for appointment of a court receiver since neither the will executed by his mother nor the affidavit executed by his brother were registered documents.

On Friday, the division bench of justices Colabawalla and Pooniwalla noted that the property in question, which comprised two flats treated as a single unit, was under the name of different owners. It ordered the concerned parties to maintain status-quo in the apartments and restrained them from creating any third-party rights.

The court referred the matter for mediation, to be presided over by retired justice Kathawalla on January 16, and directed the mediator to submit a report within four weeks, subject to extension as per requirement.

“If, for any reason, the mediation fails, this court will then consider the aforesaid reliefs”, the court said and listed the matter for hearing on February 14.