Gayatri Devi grandkids win property battle

Jaipur: After six-year-long legal battle that went up to the Supreme Court, grandchildren of late Rajmata Gayatri Devi have finally won claim to their father’s property and other assets.

The apex court upheld the Delhi High Court order of 2012, recognising Devraj Singh and Lalitya Kumari (grandchildren of Gayatri Devi) as heirs of late Jagat Singh (Gayatri Devi’s son).

The dispute was regarding the transfer of shares of Jai Mahal Hotels Pvt Ltd. The judgment by the SC’s division bench comprising justices Anil R. Dave and Adarsh Kumar Goel paved the way for Devraj and Lalitya to inherit their father Jagat Singh’s share in the royal family’s other properties too, like the Rambagh Palace Hotels Pvt Ltd, Sawai Madhopur Lodge Pvt Ltd and SMS Investment Corporation Pvt Ltd.

Earlier, Devraj and Lalitya who lived in Bangkok with their mother Priyanandana Rangsit (she belonged to royal family of Thailand) after she legally separated from Jagat Singh in 1987, had fought a legal battle against their grandmother too over will of their father and succession rights.

However, later Rajmata reached an agreement with her grandchildren on which basis the lower court issued succession certificates in favour of Lalitya and Devraj on February 19, 2009.

After the death of the Rajmata in July 2009, Lalitya and Devraj had been claiming that their grandmother willed her share from Jagat Singh’s properties as well as her other assets too in their favour. Previously, two step-uncles of the grandchildren, Prithviraj and Jai Singh, had produced a will that they claimed left everything to them.