Pune court allows continuation of Sugandha Hiremath’s plea in Kalyani family dispute

In a positive case for Sugandha Hiremath, relating to a property dispute in the Kalyani family, a Pune court refused to stay her partition suit, seeking her share of the ancestral wealth estimated at billions of dollars.

In two separate detailed orders, Joint Civil Judge JG Pawar refused to stay the proceedings as requested by Sugandha’s brother Gaurishankar Kalyani and his daughter Sheetal Kalyani.

Mr. and Mrs. Kalyan filed applications under Section 10 of the Code of Civil Procedure to stay the suit filed by Ms. Hiremath in 2025.

They argued that her suit is similar to another proceeding for the partition of the Kalyani family’s assets. They argued that Ms Kalyani’s 2014 suit and Ms Hiremath’s 2025 suit were identical.

Ms. Hiremath, on her part, argued that the applications filed by her brother Mr. Kalyani and his daughter Ms. Kalyani were nothing but attempts to prolong or delay the hearing of the case.

After hearing all parties, the court issued a detailed order on June 3.

The court took cognizance of four suits related to the properties of the Kalyani family. This included Ms Kalyani’s suit, one filed by Ms Hiremath’s children Sameer and Pallavi, and two suits she filed in 2012 and 2025.

“Considering all the facts and circumstances, the fact in question 4 of the pending suits and the contents of Section 10 CPC, prima-facie it appears that the number of parties or their representatives is not equal. Both the parties are not litigating under the same title,” the order said.

“Prayers of the pending 4 suits are completely different and not identical to each other. The causes of action of these suits are based on different bases. In the present suit, the cause of action is based on the alleged fraud which was discovered after the suit was filed in 2012 and also on misappropriation of joint Hindu property by defendants No. 3 (Gaurishankar) and their wife in the order Rohini.

“The properties of the 4 lawsuits are not identical to each other in their nature and quantity. All these lawsuits are therefore not identical in terms of the parties’ capacity, the title on the basis of which they litigate among themselves. As such, the decision of each lawsuit would not have a res-judicata effect against other lawsuits,” the resolution reads.

“Therefore, the matter at issue in the present action is not directly and substantially related to the previously pending 03 disputes,” the order states.

The suit alleges that any wealth that exists in any member of the Kalyani family was created from the core. Her grandfather Annappa Narayan Kalyani (ANK) was the one who created the initial wealth that was passed on to future generations.

Through her suit, Ms. Hiremath is seeking her stake in several movable and immovable properties, which include stakes in 250 companies in which the Kalyani family’s wealth has been invested.

Published – June 6, 2026 05:40 IST