Uddhav keeps option open for settlement with brother

December 18, 2014 02:09 am | Updated November 16, 2021 06:18 pm IST - MUMBAI:

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has sought time to think over the Bombay High Court’s proposal for an amicable settlement with his elder brother Jaidev Thackeray on the dispute over the will of their father, Bal Thackeray.

Bal Thackeray bequeathed most of his property to Mr. Uddhav Thackeray, prompting Mr. Jaidev Thackeray to challenge the will.

Mr. Uddhav Thackeray told the court on Wednesday that the allegations made by his brother against him and Bal Thackeray had caused a “lot of bitterness.” “We need some more time [to think about this]. Let us keep this option open and move ahead,” his lawyer, Rajesh Shah, told the court. “They [Uddhav Thackeray and family] are more worried about the allegations made against the deceased. That has caused a lot of bitterness among the petitioners and those close to them.”

But Mr. Jaidev Thackeray said he was willing to settle the dispute amicably. “We see that it is not required to drag this matter to the public domain,” his lawyer, Seema Sarnaik, said.

“If I can be of assistance, we can have an in-camera meeting. All the records of the meeting and the settlement will be sealed. The terms of settlement will not be disclosed,” Justice Gautam Patel said. Another option was to appoint a mutually agreeable person to mediate.

He said that otherwise, both parties were looking at long trials. “If the defendant [Jaidev] succeeds, the consequences will be unimaginable for you. Similar is the case for him. It won’t end here [the judgment will be challenged in the higher court],” the judge said.

Justice Patel said Mr. Jaidev Thackeray did not seem to have any political aspirations. “He has a different bent of mind. He is aggrieved, and so made these allegations. If a certain largeness of heart is shown, everybody will go home. Otherwise you will be here for long, and the results will be unpredictable,” he said. “How much of this do we drag to the public domain? And make a display of it … and for what purpose?”

Thereafter, Mr. Uddhav Thackeray pleaded for time, and wanted the matter to be kept for directions on January 6. The court agreed to the request.

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