Nephew of Faridkot's last ruler claims 1/3rd share in Rs 25,500-crore property

Tribune News Service

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Chandigarh, September 28

Amrinder Singh, the grandson of Kanwar Manjit Inder Singh (brother of Faridkot’s last ruler Harinder Singh Brar), has filed an execution plea in a Chandigarh court claiming his 33.33 per cent share in the Rs 25,500-crore royal properties.

He has also filed an application for the appointment of a receiver for the management of all such properties.

The execution application, filed through advocate Bharat Bhandari, comes one year after the Supreme Court upheld the order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court distributing the royal properties of the Faridkot’s last ruler amongst his legal heirs.

Bhandari claims in the application that in September 2022, the SC upheld the HC order awarding share in the property to Harinder Singh Brar’s daughters and his brother, while declaring Maharawal Khewaji Trust, which had been looking after the properties, as non-existent.

The SC also directed a trial court in Chandigarh to execute a decree for the division of properties among the stakeholders. It also ordered that the properties should be maintained in the same form by all concerned, till appropriate orders were passed by the court executing the decree passed in the matter.

Harinder Singh Brar was the last ruler of the erstwhile princely state of Faridkot. Brar and his wife Narinder Kaur had three daughters and a son.

His son died in 1981. After the death of his son Harinder Singh, Brar slipped into depression and his will was executed around seven-eight months later.

His daughter Amrit Kaur filed a civil suit in the Chandigarh District Courts challenging the will in 1992 and questioning its authenticity. In 2013, the court declared the will (dated June 1, 1982), in favour of Maharawal Khewaji Trust, as illegal, non-existence and void, and granted inheritance to Brar’s daughters. In June 2020, the HC upheld a Chandigarh court’s order with modification granting share to the family of king’s brother.

30-year-long legal battle

• The legal fight for the royal properties continued for over 30 years among the heirs of Faridkot’s former king
• In Sept 2022, the SC upheld the HC order awarding share in the property to Harinder Singh Brar’s daughters and his brother
• The order also declared the Maharawal Khewaji Trust, which had been looking after the properties, as non-existent

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