Dilip Kumar-Saira Banu Property Battle: The Lease Expires In 2952; Public Notice Issued!

Effectively debunking the claims of a Mumbai builder on Bollywood thespian Dilip Kumar’s prime plot in suburban Bandra here, the original owners of the property on Sunday reiterated that he is its “perpetual lessee” for a period of 999 years. Since the lease was signed in 1953, it expires in 2952.

The 96-year old Dilip Kumar and his 74-year old wife Saira Banu got a major boost in their ongoing property battle with Mumbai realtor Samir N. Bhojwani when the Seth Mulraj Khatau Trust (SMKT) issued Public Notices in the media on Saturday-Sunday through their lawyer Altamesh Shaikh.

The Public Notice categorically stated that Dilip Kumar is the “perpetual lessee” and not a tenant, as alleged, of the property “for the period of 999 years”. Besides, the rent on the property has already been commuted and the “lease is still valid and subsisting”.

The Public Notice has been issued on behalf of the legal heirs of the late Sunit C. Khatau, the beneficiary of the SMKT settlement and the late Chandrakant M. Khatau, one of the Trustees, said a trustee, Panna S. Khatua, the widow of Sunit C. Khatau.

The latest development in the high-profile controversy came soon after the aged actor-couple, in their first pro-active offensive – hit out at builder Samir N. Bhojwani with a Rs 200 crore (Eds; Correct) defamation suit was first highlighted by IANS on January 4, 2019.

The Public Notice also alleged that Bhojwani and others have “created and manufactured” illegal back-dated documents of several properties of the SMKT, for which it has also lodged police complaints.