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India and South Asia

Mughal, Delhi, Rajput, Sikh and princely successions, temple offices, epics and the courts that split Indian family estates.

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What do the india and south asia estate cases show?

A will signed months before death and disclosed only to the main beneficiary invites a forgery claim from every relative it leaves out. Wealth held as gold and in family companies is exposed both to the state and to every branch of the family that holds shares.

Stories
47
Years
750 BCE to 2025
Main regions
South Asia, Europe
Legal traditions
Royal and church law, Hindu law
Updated
30 October 2026

Every case in india and south asia, best-known first

Best-known first: cases from 1900 on, then the United States, then Europe, and the people most read about on English Wikipedia each month. Fiction, scripture and legend come last.

Sunjay Kapur2025 · England, UKSunjay Kapur died at a polo match, and his children say the will leaving his Rs 30,000 crore estate to his widow is forgedSunjay Kapur, chairman of auto-parts maker Sona Comstar, collapsed and died during a polo match in England on 12 June 2025. A will dated 21 March 2025 leaves almost his entire personal estate to his third wife, Priya Sachdev Kapur.wionews.com and 4 moreIndira Gandhi: Indira Gandhi, Former Prime Minister of the Republic of India2009 · Jaipur, Rajasthan, IndiaIndira Gandhi's government jailed Jaipur's Rajmata and searched Jaigarh Fort for treasure for five months, and found noneGayatri Devi, widow of Maharaja Man Singh II of Jaipur, sat in Parliament for the opposition Swatantra Party.CaseMine and 5 moreAI illustration: The palaces of Bhopal above the Upper Lake, 19601960 · Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, IndiaBhopal's heiress left for Pakistan, her sister's line took the palaces, and in 2025 a court reopened Saif Ali Khan's inheritanceHamidullah Khan was the last ruling Nawab of Bhopal. His eldest daughter and heir, Abida Sultan, moved to Pakistan; LiveLaw dates this to 1950 and Dawn dates her abdication to 1948. He died on 4 February 1960.LiveLaw and 4 moreRatan Tata: Shri Ratan Naval Tata2024 · Mumbai, IndiaRatan Tata's will gave a third of the residue to a little-known Jamshedpur businessmanRatan Tata led the Tata Group from 1991 to 2012. He never married and had no children.businesstoday.in and 3 moreAI illustration: Bombay House, the Tata headquarters in Mumbai2022 · Ahmedabad-Mumbai highway, Maharashtra, IndiaThe Tata board removed Cyrus Mistry in 2016, and India's Supreme Court upheld it over the minority family's appealThe Tata Trusts, charitable trusts set up by Tata family members, hold about 66% of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group.economictimes.indiatimes.com and 3 moreAI illustration: Carlton House Terrace, London2023 · LondonA 2014 letter said the four Hinduja brothers owned everything jointly, and the eldest brother's daughters fought it through his dementia and deathSrichand Hinduja was the eldest of four brothers leading the Hinduja Group. On 2 July 2014 he and his brothers Gopichand, Prakash and Ashok signed a letter stating that assets held in any one brother's name belonged to all four.The National Archives, Find Case Law and 3 moreUsman Ali Khan: His Exalted Highness, the Nizam of Hyderabad, Osman Ali Khan, is pictured in an official photo wearing his coronation robes.1967 · Hyderabad, India; NatWest (formerly Westminster Bank), LondoThree days after Hyderabad surrendered in 1948, its minister moved £1 million to Pakistan's envoy; a London court gave it back to the Nizam's heirs 71 years laterIndian troops entered Hyderabad on 13 September 1948. Its forces surrendered on 17 September.The National Archives, Find Case Law and 5 moreDayanidhi Maran: The Minister of Commerce & Industries, Sultanate of Oman, Mr. Maqbool Ali Bin Sultan calls on the Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology,2003 · Chennai, IndiaDayanidhi Maran alleged his brother took control of Sun TV while their father was in a coma, then withdrew the notice two months laterMurasoli Maran, a nephew of DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi, died in 2003 after a long illness. His elder son, Kalanithi, built Sun TV Network; by 2025 he held 75% of it and Forbes put his worth at $2.9 billion.nsearchives.nseindia.com and 2 moreJai Vilas Palace ( Scindia Palace): Jai Vilas Palace, the current residence of the royal Maratha family 'Scindia', is an Italianate structure combining the Tuscan and Corinthian ar2001 · Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh; Bombay and Delhi High Courts, IndiaGwalior's Rajmata disinherited her son and barred him from her last rites; the Scindia property fight ran 40 yearsMaharaja Jiwajirao Scindia of Gwalior died in 1961. His widow Vijaya Raje became a founding member of the BJP; their son Madhavrao became a Congress minister. A 1980 arbitration award divided some property between mother and son.theprint.in and 2 moreMahar: "A Mahar woman," a watercolor by Rao Bahadur M. V. Dhurandhar, 1928; more watercolors from the set: *"A working woman at Ajmere"* *"ABengali lady"* *"A Bhatia lady"* *"A Bhi1958 · Bombay Presidency (Maharashtra and northern Karnataka), IndiMahar families inherited village land in return for hereditary service; Ambedkar told them to give it up, and Bombay abolished the watans in 1958Under the village service system, Mahar families, classed as untouchable, served as watchmen, trackers of thieves, messengers and wall-menders, settled boundary disputes and removed dead cattle.CaseMine and 2 moreBegum Samru: Begum Sambre (vers 1750 - 1836), souveraine de la principauté indienne de Sardhana1851 · Sardhana, Uttar Pradesh, India; LondonBegum Samru's heir was declared insane on his wife's petition, and after his death she contested his will leaving £200,000 to an Indian collegeDavid Ochterlony Dyce Sombre was born in Sardhana in 1808. Begum Samru, ruler of Sardhana, raised him and declared him her heir. When she died in 1836, the East India Company took Sardhana, but he kept her large personal fortune.UK Parliament, Hansard and 3 moreThe Throne of Kandyan Kings: The Throne of Kandyan Era Sri Lankan Kings.1832 · Kandy, Sri Lanka; Vellore Fort, Tamil Nadu, India; Windsor CThe British deposed the last king of Kandy, barred his family from the throne forever, and kept his throne at Windsor until 1934Kannasamy, a prince of the Nayak line, was crowned king of Kandy in 1798 as Sri Vikrama Rajasinha. The chief minister Pilimatalawe chose him over the rival claimant Muthuswamy.sundaytimes.lk and 4 moreBirla Family Tree: a family tree of all the members of the Birla Family Other information This is similar to the tons of family tree images on google search, but entirely made on m2004 · Kolkata, West Bengal, IndiaPriyamvada Birla's will left a Rs 5,000 crore group to her accountant; the Birla family has fought it in court since 2004Madhav Prasad Birla died in 1990, and his widow Priyamvada became chair of the M.P. Birla Group. She died on 3 July 2004.LiveLaw and 4 moreTomb Aurangzeb: Aurangazeb's tomb in Khuldabad1707 · Khuldabad, near Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India; battle at JaAurangzeb was buried under a plain stone as he willed, and his sons fought for the throne; one said "a throne or a bier"Aurangzeb ruled from 1658 and died on a Friday, 3 March 1707, at Bhingar in the Deccan, aged 88. His son Muhammad A'zam arrived the next day.Internet Archive and 1 moreAI illustration: An oil refinery at Jamnagar, Gujarat, lit up at night2002 · Breach Candy Hospital, MumbaiDhirubhai Ambani died without a will; one son became Asia's richest man and the other told a court he was worth zeroDhirubhai Ambani founded Reliance and built it into one of India's largest groups. He died at 69 with no will and no succession plan. His sons, Mukesh and Anil, ran the group together.tribuneindia.com and 3 moreMap of India, marked on the globe1999 · Delhi, IndiaVineeta Sharma's father died in 1999 and the Delhi courts said she was too late to share the family property; the Supreme Court made every Hindu daughter a co-owner by birthUnder the Mitakshara school of Hindu law, sons own a share of ancestral property from birth as coparceners. Daughters did not.api.sci.gov.in and 3 moreMalcha Mahal: Malcha Mahal1993 · Malcha Mahal, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, IndiaA woman claiming to be heir of the kings of Awadh lived nine years in a Delhi railway station and won a palace; she was the widow of a university registrarIn the 1970s a woman calling herself Begum Wilayat Mahal camped in the first-class waiting room of New Delhi railway station with her children.tribuneindia.com and 4 morePadmanabhaswamy Temple Gopuram: Padmanabhaswamy Temple Gopuram, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India1991 · Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, IndTravancore's last ruler died in 1991, the Kerala High Court said his brother could not inherit the temple's management, and the Supreme Court gave the family controlSree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, last ruler of Travancore, signed the 1949 covenant that joined his state to India. The law kept the temple under the "Ruler of Travancore." He died on 19 July 1991.LiveLaw and 1 moreA View of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple: A View of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, Andhra Pradesh1987 · Tirumala, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, IndiaFour families held Tirumala's priesthood by birth and kept the temple jewels in turns; Andhra Pradesh abolished the inheritance in 1987A.S.LiveLaw and 5 moreAI illustration: The Khas Bagh palace of the Nawabs of Rampur, 19661966 · Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaThe Nawab of Rampur's eldest son took all his private property in 1966; after 53 years the Supreme Court split it among 16 heirsNawab Raza Ali Khan signed Rampur over to India on 15 May 1949. He kept a tax-free privy purse of 7 lakh rupees and his private properties, which he listed in orders of 31 May and 27 June 1949. He died intestate on 6 March 1966.api.sci.gov.in and 2 moreBangalore Nagarathnamma: Indian Carnatic singer Bangalore Nagarathnamma with her pet dog (3 November 1878 - 19 May 1952)1952 · Thiruvaiyaru, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, IndiaA devadasi singer spent her fortune on a temple for the saint Thyagaraja, was barred from singing at his festival, and held her ownBangalore Nagarathnamma was born on 3 November 1878 at Nanjangud to Puttalakshmi of Mysore, a devadasi. She became court artiste (Asthana Vidushi) at Mysore and was patronised at Travancore, Bobbili and Vizianagaram.feminisminindia.com and 5 moreMuhammad Ali Jinnah: Jinnah1945c1948 · South Court (Jinnah House), Malabar Hill, Mumbai, IndiaJinnah left his Bombay house to his sister; India took it as evacuee property, and his daughter died with her claim still pendingMuhammad Ali Jinnah built South Court on Malabar Hill in 1936 for 2 lakh rupees and lived there until he left for Karachi. Gandhi and Nehru met him there in 1944 and 1946.thequint.com and 3 moreTipu's Tiger front view 2006AH4173: Tippoo's Tiger1799 · Seringapatam (Srirangapatna), Karnataka, IndiaThe British army broke up Tipu Sultan's gold throne to divide as prize money; his sword sold for £14 million in 2023 while descendants pulled rickshawsOn 4 May 1799 the East India Company's army stormed Seringapatam. Tipu Sultan was killed, and his body was found near the Water Gate.nam.ac.uk and 6 moreBhawal prince: Photograph, circa early 1900s, of Ramendranarayan Roy, prince of Bhawal estate, (currently Gazipur District, Bangladesh)1909 · Darjeeling; Bhawal estate, Joydebpur (Gazipur), BangladeshA Bengal prince was cremated in 1909, a holy man claimed to be him, and the Privy Council confirmed it in 1946; he died two days laterThe Bhawal estate was the second largest zamindari in Dhaka district. Ramendra Narayan Roy, the second of three brothers, held a one-third share. In April 1909 he went to Darjeeling with his wife Bibhabati Devi.CaseMine and 3 moreHis Excellency General Sir Jang Bahadur Kunwar Rana (1817–1877), Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of Nepal: H.E. General Sir Jang Bahadur Kunwar Rana (1817-77), Prime Minister1877 · Kathmandu, NepalNepal's Rana prime ministers passed the office brother to brother by a roll; in 1934 the ruler struck off the sons of low-caste mothers, and their sons joined the party that opposed itJung Bahadur Kunwar seized power after the Kot massacre on the night of 14 September 1846.countrystudies.us and 4 moreDamodar Rao of Jhansi: The place from where Rani Lakshmibai jumped1853 · Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India; Indore, Madhya PradeshThe East India Company refused the Raja of Jhansi's deathbed adoption, took the state, and kept the boy's inheritance in trust for goodRaja Gangadhar Rao of Jhansi had no living son. As he lay dying he adopted a five-year-old relative, Anand Rao, renamed Damodar Rao.cbkwgl.wordpress.com and 3 moreHouse of Jagat Seth, Nashipur, Murshidabad, West Bengal 01: House of Jagat Seth, Nashipur, Murshidabad, West Bengal1763 · Murshidabad, West Bengal; Munger Fort, Bihar, IndiaThe Jagat Seths financed the British at Plassey; six years later the Nawab had the two heads of the bank killed and their bodies thrown from a fortHiranand Shah, an Oswal merchant from Nagaur in Rajasthan, settled in Patna in 1652.en.banglapedia.org and 2 moreFresco depicting Bhai Makhan Shah Labana finding Guru Tegh Bahadur, with a young-lad and Mata Nanaki, from Gurdwara Baba: Fresco depicting Bhai Makhan Shah Labana finding Guru Tegh1664 · Kiratpur and Bakala, Punjab, India; Dehradun, UttarakhandA Sikh guru disinherited his elder son for changing one verse for Aurangzeb, and rival claimants sat at Bakala waiting to be namedGuru Har Rai, seventh guru of the Sikhs, sent his elder son Ram Rai to Aurangzeb's court. When the emperor objected to a verse in the Adi Granth, Ram Rai changed its wording to please him.srigurugranthsahib.org and 4 moreNana Saheb Peshwa II: Nana sahib1859 · Bithur and Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India; NepalThe British refused the last Peshwa's adopted son his father's pension, and after 1857 dug his treasure out of the wells at BithurBaji Rao II, the last Maratha peshwa, lost his kingdom to the British in the Third Maratha War and lived in exile at Bithur, near Kanpur, on a pension. In 1827 he adopted Nana Sahib.The Gazette and 2 moreE. View of Bellary Fort: East View of Bellary zFort1842 · Bellary (Ballari), Karnataka, IndiaA Bellary liquor contractor died without a will, his brother claimed the estate as a Hindu joint family, and the Privy Council asked how the family livedMatthew Abraham was an Indian Roman Catholic of modest origins who grew rich from the liquor contract, arms trading and moneylending in Bellary and Kurnool. The family distanced itself from its Paraiyar (Dalit) ancestry.assets.cambridge.org and 2 moreKhizr Khan and Devaldi enthroned. Duval Rani Khizr Khan of Amir Khusrau Dihvali. Scribe, Sultan Bayazid ibn Nizam Mughal: Khizr Khan and Devaldi enthroned. Duval Rani Khizr Khan of1316 · Siri, Delhi, India; Gwalior FortMalik Kafur read out a will that made a six-year-old sultan of Delhi, blinded the heirs, and was beheaded 35 days laterMalik Kafur, a eunuch, commanded Sultan Alauddin Khalji's armies in the Deccan. Amir Khusrau's account says Kafur persuaded the dying sultan to confine his heir, Khizr Khan, in Gwalior Fort, under an oath not to take his life.Internet Archive and 1 moreIltutmish: Islamic Sultanates. Delhi. Shams al-Dīn Iltutmish. AH 607-633 AD 1210-1235. AR Tanka (25mm, 11.07 g, 6h). Sind type1236 · Delhi, India; killed near Kaithal, HaryanaSultan Iltutmish named his daughter Razia heir over his sons; the nobles crowned a son, and the people of Delhi put her on the throneThe chronicler Minhaj-i-Siraj writes that Sultan Iltutmish, returning from the conquest of Gwalior, ordered his secretary to write a decree naming his eldest daughter Raziyyat his heir apparent.Internet Archive and 1 moreMirza Kamran: Kamran Mirza1530 · Agra and Kabul; blinding in the Punjab (Pakistan)Babur's son Kamran held his infant nephew Akbar on the walls of Kabul under fire, and Humayun had Kamran blindedWhen Babur died, his eldest son Humayun took the throne at Agra on 9 Jumada I 937 AH. Nizamu-d din Ahmad records that coffers of gold were handed out, and the territories were divided among the brothers. Hindal received Mewat.Internet Archive and 1 moreHarischandra in Distress, having lost his kingdom and all the wealth parting with his only son in an auction: Harishchandra lost his kingdom and all the wealth parting with his onl300 · Ayodhya and Benares (Varanasi), Uttar Pradesh, IndiaThe Markandeya Purana says King Harishchandra gave the whole earth to a Brahmin sage, then sold his wife, his son and himself to pay the feeThe Markandeya Purana says Harishchandra was a just king in the Treta Age. Having angered the sage Vishvamitra, he offered him anything he wanted.Internet Archive and 1 moreAbu'l-Hasan Asaf Khan: Portrait. Abu'l Ḥassán Aaṣaf Xán (cropped)1627 · Lahore, PakistanAsaf Khan crowned a Mughal prince to hold the throne for Shah Jahan, and Shah Jahan had him imprisoned and killedEmperor Jahangir died on the road from Kashmir on 28 Safar 1037 AH. His son Prince Khurram, later Shah Jahan, was far away in the Deccan. His wife Nur Jahan wanted her son-in-law, Prince Shahriyar, to succeed.Internet Archive and 1 moreAditya Chola II: Aditya Chola II969 · Udaiyargudi (Kattumannarkoil), Tamil Nadu, IndiaThe Chola heir Aditya Karikala was murdered, and his brother Rajaraja seized the killers' lands and their relatives' lands years laterAditya II, called Aditya Karikala, was crown prince and co-regent of the Chola king Parantaka II. He had defeated the Pandya king Vira Pandya and taken his head.Internet Archive and 2 moreVarikkassery maa: Varikkassery mana Varikkasseri Mana (Malayalam: വരിക്കാശേരി മന), alternatively known as Varikkumanchery Mana, is one of the oldest traditional aristocratic NambooLegend · 1969 · Kerala, IndiaKerala tradition says Parashurama gave the land to Brahmins; only eldest Namboodiri sons could marry so estates never split, and land reform took them in 1969The Keralolpathi, a chronicle whose surviving versions date from the 15th to the 19th century, says the god Parashurama raised Kerala from the sea with a throw of his axe and settled Brahmins in 64 villages, 32 of them in Kerala.keralamuseum.org and 4 moreQueen Didda coin: Coins of Queen Didda (979 – 1003 AD). The Queen is depicted sitting cross legged on one side and standing on the other.1003 · Srinagar, Kashmir, IndiaKalhana's chronicle says Queen Didda of Kashmir killed three grandsons on the throne and chose her heir with a heap of applesDidda, a princess of Lohara, married King Kshemagupta of Kashmir. He died in 958, and she ruled as regent for their son Abhimanyu. When rebels besieged her palace, she executed the captured rebels and exterminated their families.Internet Archive and 2 moreMahmud of Ghazni: Mahmud of Ghazni, Ghaznavid ruler, conquering Qasdar (modern Khuzdar) in India, miniature from the Jamiʿ al-Tawarikh of 1030 · Ghazni, AfghanistanMahmud of Ghazni left his throne to one son; the other blinded him, and the blind brother's son later killed the victorSultan Mahmud of Ghazni ruled from Afghanistan to the Punjab. Baizawi's chronicle says his will gave his son Mas'ud Khurasan, Iraq and Persia, and his second son Muhammad Ghazni and India.Internet Archive and 2 moreSigiriya Luftbild (29781064900): Sigiriya Luftbild473 · Anuradhapura and Kala Wewa, Sri LankaThe Culavamsa says Kassapa walled up his father alive after the king showed him a reservoir as his only treasureKing Dhatusena of Anuradhapura had two sons. Moggallana was the son of the royal consort and the heir. Kassapa was the son of a concubine. The king made his sister's son commander of the army.books.lakdiva.org.lk and 2 moreTillya Tepe crown: Tillya Tepe crown www.flickr.com/photos/h_sinica/49049536268 www.flickr.com/photos/h_sinica/49049537778/in/album-72157... www.flickr.com/photos/h_sinica/490500401 · Tillya Tepe, near Sheberghan, Jowzjan, Afghanistan; KabulA nomad chief and five women were buried with 20,000 gold objects in Afghanistan; keyholders hid the hoard for 14 years, and in 2021 it went out of sight againIn 1978 a Soviet-Afghan team led by Viktor Sarianidi excavated six burial mounds at Tillya Tepe, the "Golden Hill," in northern Afghanistan. They held five women and one man, described as a nomadic royal and five of his wives.NBC News and 3 morePiprawa vase with relics of the Buddha inscription: Piprawa vase with relics of the Buddha inscription480 BCE · Kusinara (Kushinagar), Uttar Pradesh, India; Piprahwa, UttarThe Pali canon says eight peoples demanded the Buddha's ashes; one share, found in 1898, was pulled from auction in 2025The Mahaparinibbana Sutta says that after the Buddha was cremated at Kusinara, seven claimants sent word to the Mallas of Kusinara asking for a share of the remains: King Ajatasattu of Magadha, the Licchavis, the Sakyas of…accesstoinsight.org and 2 moreAlone, Bharat worships the sandals: Bharat reverently accepts Rama's sandal, which he will place on the throne during his regency (bazaar art, mid-1900's); *another view of the sceLegend · 750 BCE · Ayodhya and Nandigrama, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaThe Ramayana says a queen used two old promises to disinherit the heir, and his brother ruled for 14 years in the name of his sandalsValmiki's Ramayana says King Dasharatha of Ayodhya prepared to crown his eldest son Rama as heir.valmikiramayan.net and 3 moreThe disrobing of Draupadi title QS:P1476,en:"The disrobing of Draupadi "label QS:Len,"The disrobing of Draupadi ": The disrobing of Draupadi, a miniature of the Basohli SchoolLegend · 400 BCE · Hastinapura and Kurukshetra, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, IndiThe Mahabharata says the blind elder brother lost the throne, and his cousin staked the kingdom, his brothers, himself and his wife at diceThe Mahabharata, traditionally attributed to Vyasa, is the longest Indian epic, with more than 100,000 verses.Wikisource (primary text) and 4 moreBheeshma oathlabel QS:Len,"Bheeshma oath"label QS:Lml,"ഭീഷ്മശപഥം": Bhishma taking oath, on abdicating his right to the throne, in order to get the fisher girl married to his fatherLegend · 400 BCE · Hastinapura, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaThe Mahabharata says Bhishma gave up the Kuru throne and vowed never to marry so his father could wed, and the line ran out of heirsThe Adi Parva says King Shantanu wanted to marry Satyavati, a fisherman's daughter. Her father would agree only if her son became king. He also feared that the crown prince Devavrata's own children would later claim the throne.Wikisource (primary text) and 2 moreGommateshwara, Shravanabelagola: T, Gommateshwara or Bahubali in ShravanabelagolaLegend · 850 · Ayodhya and Podanapur (legendary); Shravanabelagola, KarnataJain tradition says Bahubali beat his elder brother for the kingdom, gave it up, and stood a year in meditation troubled that he stood on his brother's landJain tradition says Rishabha, the first tirthankara, placed his eldest son Bharata on the throne, made Bahubali heir apparent and gave lands to his other sons before he renounced the world.Internet Archive and 2 moreEmperor Yayati gray: A painting of YayatiLegend · 400 BCE · Kingdom of the Lunar dynasty (legendary), northern IndiaThe Mahabharata says King Yayati passed over four sons who refused to take his old age, and made the youngest his heirThe Adi Parva says King Yayati was cursed with old age by the sage Shukra, the father of his queen Devayani, after his affair with her attendant Sharmishtha. The curse allowed him to pass his old age to a son.Wikisource (primary text) and 2 more